The Ties That Bind Part I
by transmutejun
Summary: Part of my Origins series, this fic explores the past and ultimate creation of the Science Ninja Team, from two opposite POVs.
1. ThirtyFive Years Ago

_This story was inspired by a conversation over at Gatchamania more than a year ago. As I worked on it, I found myself weaving in elements of other stories I had written in the past, creating an Alternate Universe of sorts. While it is not necessary to read these other stories to enjoy this one, you may be interested to know that this fic takes elements from my stories '_It's Not Easy Being Green'_, '_Turning Point'_, and my '_Discovery/Recovery/Reconciliation'_ trilogy. All of these fics are posted on this site, if you choose to explore further._

_And now, I hope you enjoy the latest addition to my 'Origins' universe: _The Ties That Bind_._

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_**Thirty-Five Years Ago**_

"I hate you."

The bully uttering these words accompanied his thoughts with a sneer, his upper lip curling to reveal teeth that were all too clearly in urgent need of dental assistance. But none of this mattered to the boy. Bigger, smaller, older, younger; it didn't matter. He could stand up to anyone in the schoolyard.

He was special.

"You aren't the first." the boy shrugged, his bored tone tinged with a hint of arrogance. "And you certainly won't be the last."

The bully appeared to be taken aback by this response. It clearly was not what he had expected, but the sneering student plunged ahead with his plan of intimidation regardless.

"I'm gonna beat the snot outta you!" the bully boasted, thrusting out his chest.

"I don't think so." the boy yawned. This time his tone was less bored and more cold. The boy twisted his body slightly, lifting up his leg and thrusting it out at the bully, sending the larger student flying away from him. The bully hit a wall, coming to rest in an undignified heap on the ground.

Without a word, the boy simply walked away, not even glancing at the now silent bully who was shakily pulling himself out of the dirt. This kind of trash wasn't worth the boy's time.

He was meant for greater things.

Smiling softly to himself, he rounded the corner of the school building, heading for a secluded grove of trees at the edge of the school property. It was the boy's favorite place to be at this wretched institution.

He would already be there now; if it hadn't been for that upstart bully who had thought he could make a reputation for himself by thrashing the boy.

But now, the boy was finally alone. Reaching the grove of trees, he eagerly reached out with his mind and spoke to his only true friend in the universe.

"Sosai!" he cried. "I'm here! Did you see me take down that…?"

"It is of no importance."

The deep voice reverberated within his mind, clearly communicating a sense of impatience.

"Sosai, I apologize for being late, but…"

"It will _not_ happen again." Sosai responded, his tone insistent. "This only confirms that I am making the right decision."

"What decision?" the boy asked frantically, suddenly fearful for his position. "I am yours, Sosai! I live only to serve you! Without you, I am nothing!"

"You have been replaced." Sosai continued, ignoring the boy's pleading. "I no longer have need of you."

"What?" the boy screamed, throwing himself on the ground, prostrating himself before the omnipotent alien who was not truly there, yet saw everything.

"You cannot replace me, Sosai! I am meant to serve you!"

"I no longer require your services." Sosai said coldly. "I have another to take your place."

"But who could take my place?" the boy demanded. "Sosai, who could possibly love you more than I do?"

"My own creation." the alien answered bluntly. "You have been tolerable, but you lack the exact brainwaves I require in my General. But now, I have been able to craft one of your species to fit my requirements. I am looking forward to the arrival of my new creation."

"Arrival?" the boy thought fast. Clearly this usurper was not yet in place.

"Sosai, you are so great and powerful. You need _many_ to serve you. Why focus on this one creation, who may fail you? Surely you could use another whom you can trust fully. One who would hold _your_ interests above all others."

The boy held his breath. In the past, Sosai had always succumbed to flattery, but then the alien entity had never tried to replace his most devoted servant before…

"You might be right." Sosai admitted. "But I do not want my new creation to feel that I have lost faith in him, before he has even begun. You will remain far away from Berg Katse and do my bidding without his knowledge."

The boy had never heard of 'Berg Katse', but he readily agreed.

"As you say, Sosai. It shall be as you command. I will serve you, without Berg Katse knowing of my existence."

"This gives me an idea…" murmured Sosai thoughtfully. "I will return."

And suddenly, the alien entity was gone.

The boy smiled to himself. He had saved his position with Sosai. He would show his Master that he was a far better servant than this new 'Berg Katse' creation.

As he had always known, Kentaro Washio was meant for better things.


	2. Twenty Years Ago

_**Twenty Years Ago**_

Kentaro Washio strode purposefully into the headquarters of the International Science Organization, his brilliant white teeth flashing as he smiled at everyone he encountered. In his crisp UN Air Force uniform he cut a dashing figure, sending women into swoons and causing men to stare at him with envy.

It was the kind of attention on which Kentaro thrived.

He was only a Lieutenant, but his superior, a Brigadier General for whom he worked as an aide, had been scheduled to attend an information session with the scientists at the ISO. Such sessions happened every few months, and were designed to keep the UN Military Forces updated with respect to new technologies and their applications to defensive and offensive objectives. The General found such meetings dry and boring, and had eagerly assigned his aide to sit in for him, when something more 'important' had come up.

Kentaro did not agree at all with the General's opinion of such meetings, but knew enough to keep his views to himself. Attending this briefing would give him insight into the UN's future military effectiveness, and Sosai would be most interested in a detailed report on such matters.

After leaving school at the age of eighteen, Kentaro had used what little money his parents had left him to attend flight school, completing his internship with the UN Air Force, as Sosai had urged him to do. It seemed that Kentaro had a natural aptitude for flying, and he easily excelled in his training, quickly emerging as the top student in his class. He had purposely developed a friendship with the next two ranked student pilots in his year. While these two men were nowhere near as good as he was, Masaki and Oniishi were still clearly a few cuts above the average UN Air Force pilot with respect to their flying skills. Kentaro had cultivated their loyalty, and while they had no knowledge of the true master he served, their undying faith in Kentaro Washio had turned out to be extremely useful.

In fact, Kentaro had discovered that _most_ people could be useful to him.

While inside he was still the boy who longed to arrogantly crush anyone who stood in his way, the man in him understood that doing so would only make his path more difficult. And so it was that Lieutenant Washio had become an incomparable manipulator of people. Everyone he met was treated as if _they_ were of the utmost importance to him. His carelessly handsome face, his flawless manners, his dashing figure and his beaming smile were his weapons, seducing women and ingratiating himself with powerful men wherever he went.

A blushing secretary looked up at him as he approached her desk, tittering softly as he leaned down to gaze into her watery eyes and bestow a dazzling smile upon her.

"I'm looking for Mr. Kozaburo Nambu." Kentaro informed her, even as his eyes suggested that he would much prefer the company of the vapid creature in front of him.

"Oh… Mr. Nambu!" the girl replied, reluctantly tearing herself away from Kentaro's gaze. "He's scheduled for a briefing right now…"

"Yes." Kentaro agreed, nodding at her. "I'm scheduled to attend that briefing."

"And you are…?" The girl's weak attempt at professionalism failed as a cow-eyed expression blanketed her face, and her hand began to reach out toward the handsome young officer.

"First Lieutenant Kentaro Washio." he replied, dutifully accepting the secretary's proffered hand and placing a whispering kiss just past her knuckles. The foolish girl giggled, clearly overwhelmed by this degree of attention.

"Mr. Nambu is in Conference Room Three." she simpered. "He's expecting you, Lieutenant Washio. Would you like me to show you the way?"

As he followed the insipid secretary's sashaying hips down the hallway, Kentaro smiled smugly to himself. It was so easy to turn people over to your side, if only you invested a modicum of effort. Who knew what kinds of information this twit was privy to, and how such a contact might help him later?

As he strode confidently into the room, Kentaro surveyed the various people assembled within. All areas of the UN Military Forces were represented, and Kentaro found himself assigned a chair next to that of a Naval Admiral.

"Good morning, Sir." Kentaro greeted the man smartly before taking his seat. "I am First Lieutenant Kentaro Washio, United Nations Air Force."

"Nice to meet you, Son." the Admiral smiled benignly. "Admiral Jerry Daniels, UN Naval Forces. I don't think I've seen you at these briefings before."

"I'm representing General Karl Fixman." Kentaro admitted. "The General was unfortunately called away on an important matter."

"Important matter, my ass!" Daniels snorted. "Fixman always was the sly one. He's just found a good way to weasel out of this snore session."

"Snore session?" the Lieutenant asked, composing his face into an expression of polite confusion. "I don't understand, Sir."

"This Nambu kid is a real cure for insomnia." the Admiral confided. "He's Dr. Anderson's protégé, and word is that he's the youngest and brightest graduate intern the ISO's had in years. But his speeches are drier than the Sahara!"

"That bad, huh?" Kentaro grinned.

"Worse." Daniels barked a laugh. "And his talks are so airy-fairy that nothing he discusses is even on the horizon for the next decade. These briefings are a waste of time, if you ask me."

"I see…" the Lieutenant murmured.

"Not that they're all bad." the Admiral rushed to add. "But really, why can't they just send us a memo?"

Kentaro laughed at the remark, as it was clear that he was expected to do so. But he didn't agree with the Admiral's assessment at all. A memo was easily ignored. An in-person meeting demanded attention to the subject matter at hand.

But when Kozaburo Nambu walked to the podium and began to speak, Kentaro understood the problem. The mustached, bespectacled graduate student was obviously a highly intelligent man, but he had no talent whatsoever when it came to public speaking. The man didn't even preface his remarks with a joke, but simply dove straight on into his subject matter: _The Reconstitution of Energy Matter Particles in an Anti-Matter Transmolecular Field_. He gave not the slightest consideration to the fact that his audience likely had no understanding whatsoever of the terminology being used, nor the physics background to comprehend even the basics of what the graduate student was attempting to describe.

Kentaro did his best to pay attention, but it was a losing battle. Every time he attempted to grasp at the knowledge Nambu was offering, the monotonous drone of the man's voice would send the Lieutenant's brain into a near-comatose state.

"Damn college nerd!" Kentaro muttered under his breath. He was certain that no one else had heard his comment, as the violent snores coming from those sitting closest to him attested. The noise drowned out any minor sound that the Lieutenant might have made. Kozaburo Nambu was the kind of person Kentaro hated most: a highly educated, intelligent man who had had his entire life handed to him on a silver platter.

A man who made Kentaro Washio feel like an ignorant peasant scrabbling in the dirt.

But in that moment of anger, when the Lieutenant's disdain for the graduate student was reaching new heights, a few of Kozaburo Nambu's words broke through the red haze in his brain and impacted Kentaro's consciousness.

"Wait a minute!" the young Lieutenant blurted out, before he could think about what he was doing. "Are you saying that you have discovered a way to transform matter?" He stared at the graduate student, who blinked rapidly from behind his thick glasses in surprise. It was clear that Mr. Nambu was not used to questions of any kind, much less unexpected interruptions such as this one.

"Well…" Nambu gulped, nervously adjusting his tie, "That's not _exactly_ what I was saying. In the future, yes, perhaps this is possible, but for now, the theoretical and empirical research suggest that…"

As Kozaburo Nambu droned on, Kentaro Washio leaned back in his chair and smiled. Theoretical or not, this was information that Sosai would be very interested in. And if the Lieutenant could deliver it to him… The implications would be clear to Sosai.

Kentaro Washio _was_ useful.

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After the lecture had concluded, Lieutenant Washio made his polite goodbyes to the Admiral and then walked over to the young presenter. Kozaburo Nambu was gathering his notes and presentation slide discs together, filing them neatly in his briefcase.

"Kozaburo Nambu?" Kentaro asked, smiling brightly. "I truly enjoyed your lecture. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to enlighten us."

Of course, Kentaro hadn't derived any enjoyment whatsoever from the graduate student's monotonous speech, but something inside of the young Lieutenant told him that in the future it might prove very useful to have a connection with this clueless scientist. Kentaro's smile widened as he directed his considerable charm at Kozaburo Nambu.

"You did?" Nambu replied, startled. He looked up from his briefcase, pushing his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose. Kentaro immediately comprehended that no one had ever said such a thing to this awkward scientist before. Not that this discovery truly surprised the young Lieutenant.

"Yes, the idea that metal can be transformed to meet the current needs of the user is incredible." Kentaro said, smiling engagingly. "I can see a number of practical applications to military vehicles and weapons, even body armor…"

"We are years away from that kind of application." Nambu pointed out. "But yes, that's essentially where we are headed with this line of research." The graduate student straightened his shoulders, pulling himself up to his full height. He was nearly as tall as the Lieutenant.

Kentaro smirked to himself. Clearly a little attention was all it took to reel in this intern scientist. But despite his lack of social graces and presentation skills, the man did appear to be intelligent and capable in his work, and the fact that he was regularly assigned to give these briefings to high-level personnel suggested to Kentaro that Kozaburo Nambu was going places within the International Science Organization.

This would be a most useful contact.

The Lieutenant engaged the graduate student in deep conversation for some minutes, laying the groundwork for a 'friendship' of sorts. Nambu was about his age after all, and there was no other basis (or an excuse) for Kentaro to maintain future contact otherwise.

But as it turned out, the Lieutenant was wrong on that count.

Just as Kozaburo Nambu was warming up to his subject matter again, a young woman approached the pair. Kentaro supposed that most men would consider her to be attractive, in a quiet sort of way, but she wasn't the kind of female who appealed to him at all. Rather than being lush, blonde, and oozing sensuality, this woman was the very picture of prim and proper, from her high-necked blouse, down her slim form, all the way to her modest, sensible shoes. In fact, the only thing that made her stand out in any way was her large blue eyes… eyes that blinked rapidly in confusion as she approached.

"Kozaburo, I thought we were meeting at one o'clock." she said meekly. "But I see that you are busy. I apologize for the interruption."

The Lieutenant was amused to see the young scientist's cheeks flushing behind his glasses. Perhaps Mr. Nambu had interests outside the world of science after all. This discovery immediately increased the young woman's potential in the pilot's eyes.

"First Lieutenant Kentaro Washio." he said, bowing in a dashing manner and placing a teasing kiss on the back of the woman's hand. "It is a genuine pleasure to meet you, Miss…"

"Sayuri." The woman covered her mouth with slim fingers, giggling lightly as she reluctantly pulled her hand away from Kentaro's gentle grasp. "Sayuri Yammoto." Her eyes flickered up to examine the young Lieutenant more closely. Kentaro could see that he had piqued her interest. And why not? He was likely the most exciting man she had ever met.

Most amusing of all, Kentaro had managed to capture Sayuri's attention without Kozaburo Nambu even being aware of it. The graduate student was still blushing and staring at his shoes. Kentaro smiled gleefully, a plan forming in his mind. He would both cultivate this promising young scientist's friendship, and at the same time cuckold him, as a way to make this a more enjoyable task. After all, there had to be _some_ rewards for performing such distasteful work. Certainly Sayuri wasn't the kind of girl he would normally pursue in such a manner, but then all cats looked the same in the dark.

Besides, there was nothing Kentaro enjoyed more than making a fool of someone… especially when they didn't even realize it.

"Are you too busy for lunch then, Kozaburo?" Sayuri asked quietly, her eyes darting back to the floor. "I was looking forward to it."

"So was I." sighed Nambu, looking regretfully at Sayuri. "But I've been called up to give another presentation this afternoon, and I really must prepare…"

"That's all right, I understand." Sayuri murmured, backing away as she inclined her head respectfully.

Kentaro grinned widely. This was practically falling into his lap! It was a perfect way to insinuate himself into both of their lives, and create excuses to see both of them again.

"I would be delighted to escort you to lunch, Miss Yammoto." he said, inclining his head respectfully, but tempering the formality of the gesture with a wink sent in the young woman's direction. When he saw Sayuri blush, Kentaro knew he had won.

"If it is all right with you, of course, Mr. Nambu." the Lieutenant added politely.

"Yes." Kozaburo responded, actually sounding relieved to be free of his burden of guilt. Kentaro mentally rolled his eyes. How could this guy be so clueless? It just went to show that these stuck up college types didn't know squat.

Kentaro was better than they were. And he was certainly better than this sorry, bespectacled excuse for a man.

"I…" Sayuri looked from Kozaburo to Kentaro for a moment, hesitating.

"I would love to, Lieutenant Washio." she said finally, her eyes sparkling as she made her decision. They really were her best feature, Kentaro decided.

"Excellent." Kozaburo nodded, gathering up the rest of his notes and discs, putting the last of them into his briefcase. "I'm glad this worked out for everyone."

It had certainly worked out for Kentaro.

He escorted Sayuri to a nearby café, listening with only half an ear as he encouraged her to shyly tell him about herself. A meek and mild girl of this nature was hardly a challenge for the dashing young Lieutenant, and it was easy to string her along with flattering words and the semblance of his rapt attention. At the end of the meal, over coffee, Kentaro placed his hand over Sayuri's, and her resulting blush and soft giggles told him that he had been successful in his endeavor.

Sayuri was his, if he wanted her.

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As it turned out, Sayuri was surprisingly useful. Kentaro _did_ want her… albeit not in the way the inexperienced young woman desired him. Still, with her chaste background and meek exterior, Kentaro wasn't technically in a position to take many liberties, and so he didn't have to put himself out much to continue stringing Sayuri along.

No, the reason Kentaro wanted this young woman was for her connections. It seemed that Sayuri came from a socially prominent family, and was therefore familiar with many of the International Science Organization's high-level administrators. In the guise of escorting Sayuri to various ISO social events, Kentaro was able to make connections with some of the most important scientific minds in the world.

Sosai was definitely pleased. Kentaro's master praised his servant, greedily devouring any information that the young Lieutenant was able to procure.

"Surely this Berg Katse of yours cannot assist you as I can." Kentaro pleaded. "Whatever you ask of me, Sosai, I will deliver it!"

"You know that Katse has not fully matured." the alien entity replied in an irritated tone. "He is but fourteen years of age, and is not yet fully capable of serving me as I require."

"And in the meantime, _I_ will serve you." Kentaro smiled smugly. "I can obtain all of the information you require."

"We shall see." Sosai replied sourly.

For being such a supposedly intelligent man, it took Kozaburo Nambu a few weeks to realize that he no longer had any hope of capturing Sayuri's affections for himself. But rather than being angry, the graduate student seemed to simply accept his fate and move on. Despite Sayuri's waning interest in Nambu, Kentaro was able to maintain a 'friendship' of sorts with the up-and-coming scientist.

It made the Lieutenant feel good to know that he had pulled one over on the prissy scientist. Kentaro enjoyed rubbing salt into Kozaburo's still-open wound once in awhile, but he didn't do it as often as he would like, in order to maintain a good relationship with Nambu. He didn't want to push things too far, as Kozaburo Nambu was definitely emerging as someone who was a good person to know. Despite his lack of social graces, the stodgy young man was making an impression at the ISO. Kentaro had heard important officials discussing the young intern's work, and it was clear that Kozaburo Nambu was going to receive a significant promotion once his doctoral work was completed.

Things were shaping up nicely for the young Lieutenant. In fact, he was even up for a promotion, and Kentaro wasn't surprised one day when he found himself called into General Fixman's office one morning.

"I hear you've made quite a name for yourself among the various UN Military Forces, Kentaro." Fixman grinned. "Admiral Daniels in particular seems to have taken a shine to you."

"He is an exceptional man." Kentaro grinned, pleased that his attempts to network among the higher-ups of the Military Forces were paying off.

"You're being given a promotion to Major, effective at the first of next month." Fixman said, leaning back in his chair. "You've earned it, Washio. You're the best pilot I've seen in years, and you have the skills to interact with others. You're going to be a terrific leader for the UN Air Force. In fact, there's only one thing you're missing."

"What's that?" Kentaro asked, amused. He was fully expecting Fixman to make a jocular comment about being more like the General.

"You need a wife."

"_What_?"

Kentaro nearly choked as he sat straight up in his chair. A wife? What the hell was this?

"You'd better start breathing again, before you turn blue!" Fixman chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he looked upon the flabbergasted young officer. "It's not very easy to get promoted if you suffocate."

"But… a _wife_?" Kentaro gasped. That was the _last_ thing he wanted. A wife would only tie him down, nag him; prevent him from doing the things he needed to do.

"Yes." Fixman nodded. "The United Nations Air Force likes family men. Men who can commit and settle down. Not to say that we discriminate against bachelors, but you're so young…"

Kentaro's face still had a somewhat greenish cast to it, and the General's expression became more serious. He spoke again, his voice taking on a tone of confidentiality.

"Look, Washio, you're an incredible pilot. You graduated first in your class, beating out men who were nearly a decade older than you are. Lieutenant General Hiratu wants to put you in charge of a new special Flight Force he is developing."

"A special Flight Force?" Kentaro asked curiously, his eyes lighting up.

"Yes." Fixman nodded. "A small team of crack fighter pilots. There are a number of terrorist cells causing the UN problems around the world, and this team's primary objective would be to eliminate that kind of enemy activity."

"I see." Kentaro murmured thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair again. The young pilot knew that Sosai was involved with many of these 'terrorist groups' the General had mentioned, and that they were in fact part of a larger Syndicate. If Kentaro could gain a position of trust within the UN Military Forces, he would have access to all kinds of confidential information that Sosai would be _very_ interested in. This snot-nosed Berg Katse would never be able to compete with such a thing.

"This sounds right up my alley." Kentaro noted. "So why isn't General Hiratu talking to me about this himself?"

"He's not sure about you." Fixman confided. "He's been asking me a lot of questions about your background, and your record. About your stability… your level-headedness."

"Does he think I have a problem in that area?" Kentaro frowned.

"You're young." the General shrugged, holding up his hands as if to imply that this was silly, but not to be avoided. "Hiratu has already targeted your comrades, Lieutenants Masaki and Oniishi, among others, for this project. He wants _you_ to be groomed as the leader of this elite team. But these other men are still five to ten years older than you are. Hiratu questions whether or not you have the maturity to lead them."

With a sudden flash of insight, Kentaro knew exactly where this was headed.

"And to prove my maturity, I need to get myself a wife?" he sputtered.

"Hiratu likes married men." Fixman replied. "Most of us do, when it comes to this kind of decision. We want leaders who are stable and committed. We promote bachelors of course, but they are usually older." The General stressed this last point, clearly wondering if the usually bright Lieutenant Washio was picking up on the message he was trying to get across.

"This is an incredible opportunity for you, Washio, if you're willing to do what it takes to grab it." Fixman added.

Kentaro was silent for a long moment, contemplating his options. Finally, he leaned forward, a smirk on his face.

"I know just the girl."


	3. Fifteen Years Ago

_**Fifteen Years Ago**_

Lieutenant Colonel Kentaro Washio held his thumb over the firing button, targeting the enemy aircraft in his sights. The other pilot attempted to evade him, but the Colonel was having none of it. He harried the other plane, never letting the pilot rest, and when the enemy's guard was down, Kentaro's thumb came to rest on that button.

A silvery missile streaked forth, moving toward the hapless fighter jet and destroying it in less than a second. Fire and smoke filled the air, and Kentaro grimaced wryly. Today, destroying one of Sosai's men felt good. It was as if, in some small way, he was getting his own back at the callous, selfish alien entity.

Kentaro Washio had been denied.

For all of these years, he had devoted himself to Sosai, heart and soul. He had spent his life pursuing information that the alien would find useful. He had proven himself loyal and irreplaceable, many times over. And what reward had he received for his lifetime of service and dedication?

Berg Katse was to be appointed the Leader of Galactor.

Sosai had completely ignored Kentaro's numerous contributions over the past decade, instead choosing to favor his own mutant prodigy, who had done nothing but snivel and whine at Sosai's feet… if the alien could even be said to have feet. Kentaro had never met Sosai in person, but he knew the alien entity to be somewhat… disembodied.

It wasn't fair.

Today's mission was supposed to be simple. In order to maintain his presence within UN Forces, Kentaro had to appear to be accomplishing the tasks set before him. To that end, from time to time, Sosai would send out a few squadrons of 'useless goons' (or so the alien liked to call them) for Kentaro and his team to eliminate. The Colonel's men thought they were routinely eliminating Galactor's best and brightest.

If only they knew.

The troops Sosai sent out to meet him were the most imbecilic and idiotic soldiers Kentaro had ever seen. Sometimes, the Colonel wondered just how much inbreeding there was going on within the Galactor organization. Certainly there appeared to be no shortage of 'below average' fodder for these encounters, which were designed purely to make Kentaro look good to his superiors. It had worked so well that the UN even called the grouping of these battles a 'war'. A war the UN was 'winning', thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Kentaro Washio.

Normally, Kentaro and his men dispatched the watered-down Galactor troops, and the Colonel found himself slightly bored by the entire exercise. But today, it was different. Each plane he shot down bore Berg Katse's face. Kentaro had never actually met the boy, but he imagined the sniveling, weak face of his rival, and fired his guns directly into its center.

In the back of his mind, Kentaro recognized that Berg Katse was a man now. He had to be eighteen or nineteen years of age, and as the declared Leader of Galactor…

Kentaro's hands tightened their grip on the flight stick that controlled his fighter plane. He pressed the firing button again and again, easily destroying two more Galactor jets. The remaining enemy aircraft were quickly wiped up by the rest of his force.

Yet again, Kentaro hadn't lost one man, while the Galactors had lost every one of theirs.

It was all so meaningless.

He had sacrificed everything, and for what? So pansy-ass Berg Katse could take the position that rightfully belonged to him!

Kentaro groaned as he thought about the mess he had made of his life. On General Fixman's recommendation, he had married Sayuri. While it had gotten him the leadership posting on the UN Air Force Special Fighter Squad that he had desired, the price he had had to pay, and was continuing to pay at home, was too great.

Sayuri was the perfect society wife… which was exactly what Kentaro _didn't_ want. Every moment he was at home, Sayuri clung to him; smothering him with attempts to make him more comfortable, to cook for him, to fulfill his every basic need.

It was driving Kentaro insane.

He didn't need this milk and water girl. Kentaro needed a woman with fire and passion; someone to challenge him and make his flesh burn when he touched her. Truth be told, Kentaro needed _many_ women, as even when he found one to his liking, she quickly lost appeal once she had succumbed to his charms and fallen into his bed. At first, Kentaro had tried to keep his numerous affairs a secret from his eager-to-please wife, but eventually Sayuri had figured it out. For all of her flaws, she was intelligent, and the evidence was there for her to see, if only she chose to look.

To Kentaro's surprise, when she had learned of his promiscuity, Sayuri hadn't lectured him, nor had she shed the tears he had been expecting. Instead, she had found some kind of inner strength, and had simply and coldly informed Kentaro of the fact that he was going to be a father.

A father… that was the _last_ thing Kentaro had wanted from Sayuri. He wanted any child of his to grow up as part of Galactor, under Sosai's watchful eye, looking up to Kentaro as a true leader.

Instead, he had sired a whiny, big-eyed brat of a son who clung to his mother and screamed whenever his father came near him. Worst of all, the boy had Sayuri's effeminate features, and was a direct affront to Kentaro's masculinity. The wide, expressive blue eyes that were Sayuri's only attractive feature were cute and soft on his son, lending the boy an air of weakness. Kentaro Jr. was smaller than other children as well, and even at the age of three, his father could already see him becoming the target of bigger boys' bullying.

Kentaro had tried. He had done his best to toughen the boy up. This was _his_ son, bearing _his_ name, damn it! And yet, no matter what Kentaro did, the boy resembled his mother, in both appearance and character, every day.

Only last month, Kentaro had tested the boy's mettle. The small family had gone to Hontwal for a short vacation. They had spent most of their time at the lakeside, and Kentaro had decided to teach his son to swim. After showing Kentaro Jr. the basic strokes, he had encouraged the boy to walk with him out along the rocks. Kentaro had gotten into the water, which was far too deep for the young toddler to stand. He had waved to the boy, coaxing him, and then once Kentaro Jr. had jumped in, his father had watched the three year old boy's useless attempts to stay afloat.

Rather than suck it up and do his best to get back to shore, his son had screamed in a high, girlish voice, flailing and forgetting everything he had just been taught. Kentaro's anger had surged, and he had railed at his fate to have this useless, pathetic worm of a son. He had practically slammed the boy's head underwater with the heel of his hand, laughing at Kentaro Jr.'s pitiful attempts to resurface.

His son had struggled briefly in his weak way, then had seemed to give up. He had simply stayed underwater, not even fighting back when the stakes involved were his own life. For a brief moment, Kentaro had thought about just keeping the boy there for a few minutes, until the air leaked out of his lungs and his life ebbed from his body.

It certainly would have solved a lot of Kentaro's problems.

But the caw of a seagull had distracted Kentaro, and his hand had slipped. The next thing he had known, his son had been coming up to the surface, bobbing and sputtering as he had attempted a weak cry with what little air was left in his lungs. It had been enough to summon Sayuri, who had raced over, scooping up the child in her arms and glaring at Kentaro accusingly. It was then that Kentaro had realized that the problem was not only his son, but also his wife.

Ever since then, he had thought of nothing but ridding himself of these two lodestones around his neck, but he had been unable to come up with a way to accomplish his goal. Divorce was frowned upon by the Military Forces, and was essentially unheard of in the higher ranks of the UN Air Force. Kentaro didn't want to jeopardize his chances of further promotion. Then he would lose all usefulness to Sosai, and nothing else would matter.

Still, Sosai _owed_ him.

It was inconceivable that this upstart Berg Katse had usurped his place, especially when the mutant's track record was as yet unproven. But it had happened, all the same.

Yet perhaps… perhaps his past service to Sosai had earned Kentaro some sort of boon. Perhaps he could convince the alien entity to do him a favor…

That night, Kentaro crept out of the loveless marriage bed he shared with Sayuri, and walked on stealthy feet from the room. He moved through the kitchen, exiting the tiny shack and stepping outside. He breathed deeply in the night air, letting it fill him as he contemplated the grass airstrip behind the home.

"Sosai…" he called silently, his mind reaching out across the miles, seeking out that familiar contact with the alien presence that seemed to consume his entire being.

After only a moment, an answer came. It was as if Sosai had been waiting for this contact.

"You want to speak with me?" the alien entity asked in a smug, superior tone.

"Yes, Sosai." Kentaro replied, carefully schooling his words and manner to be respectful and non-demanding. "I have dedicated my life to you since I was a child, and in order to do so, I have gladly made certain sacrifices."

"Everyone must sacrifice for the greater good of Galactor." Sosai replied in an amused tone.

"Yes, but one sacrifice has caused me more problems than I had anticipated." Kentaro explained. "In fact, I am under so much stress and scrutiny that I wonder if I am capable of continuing to perform my proper duty for Galactor."

"What problem is this?" Sosai asked. The alien entity actually sounded somewhat anxious.

"It is my 'family'." Kentaro uttered the word with obvious distaste. "My wife only causes me difficulties, and my son is a weak brat who can be of no use to Galactor. I would like to have them both eliminated."

"Eliminated?" Sosai's anxiousness was gone, and it almost sounded as if he was yawning in boredom. "Isn't that something you could take care of yourself?"

"No." Kentaro admitted, ensuring that his voice carried a note of deep regret. "Such a thing would jeopardize my position in the UN Military Forces, which would make it much more difficult for me to obtain the information you require, Sosai."

"This is true." Sosai begrudgingly admitted. "But it would be difficult for Galactor agents to target your family without causing the same kind of suspicion, as by themselves, your wife and son are no threat to us."

"I was thinking about poison, or perhaps infecting them with some kind of fatal disease." Kentaro suggested hopefully.

"No…" Sosai murmured thoughtfully, clearly enjoying working out this situation in his mind. "Such a thing would also throw suspicion on you, when you did not succumb as well."

"You're right, of course, Sosai." Kentaro replied quietly, his tone slightly defeated.

He paused, holding his breath. He had to make these next few words count. Kentaro gasped suddenly, as if just now thinking of a solution to his predicament.

"Sosai!" he said excitedly. "What if I wasn't there? If I were legitimately somewhere else when this occurred? Then there would be no suspicion cast my way!"

"Yes…" the alien entity agreed. "Can you think of a way to convince your superiors to send you on an assignment?"

"I'm sure I could." Kentaro smiled. "I will speak with General Hiratu first thing tomorrow morning."

"I'm glad that's settled." Sosai replied, but then his tone suddenly changed. "Was that _all_ you wished to discuss, Kentaro Washio?"

"Yes." Kentaro said slowly. "There is nothing else, Sosai. This is ample repayment for the service I have given you."

"I am glad that you feel this way." the alien entity murmured, before its presence left the Colonel's mind.

Kentaro let out a long, slow sigh of relief. He had managed to turn this sad situation to his best advantage. Kentaro had known that Sosai had made up his mind to make Berg Katse the leader of Galactor. Once such a decision had been made, there was no way of convincing the alien entity to reverse it.

However, Sosai had _expected_ Kentaro to protest the choice of Berg Katse, and therein had been the military officer's advantage. He had been able to get Sosai to easily agree to his request by catching the alien off guard.

And now that he had Sosai's blessing, Kentaro Washio could put the remainder of his plan into action.

88888

"It's the opportunity I've been waiting for!" Kentaro told Sayuri excitedly. It was their wedding anniversary, and Kentaro had brought home wine and flowers for his wife, not to mention an exquisite piece of jewelry. Sayuri had been overwhelmed, and she had fussed over a romantic dinner after Kentaro Jr. had gone to bed. Now, lingering over dessert, Kentaro had taken Sayuri's hands in his, whispering sweet words until he had felt that she would be most receptive to what he _really_ had to say.

"General Hiratu says that I can have complete control of this new elite squad. I would have the effective rank of a full Colonel, and have a chance to wipe out these Galactor terrorists completely." Kentaro smiled winningly, exerting more charm in his wife's direction than he had in the past four years. "Kozaburo needs me to go on assignment for him, with this new team. It would also allow me to do that test pilot work he's been asking me about. You know I can't turn him down, not after he has been such a good friend, to both of us."

"I can see that this is something that you truly want." Sayuri couldn't help returning her handsome husband's infectious grin. "And I fully support you Kentaro, I really do. But why do you have to go away? And for so long? Kentaro Jr. only just turned four last week. And I need you too…" Sayuri lowered her eyes shyly and blushed in a becoming fashion.

Kentaro forced down the natural revulsion he felt at the thought of intimacy with his wife. He _had_ to convince Sayuri to go along with this, or General Hiruta would never green light the project. Nambu would likely get cold feet as well, if he knew Sayuri was unhappy about it.

"A year isn't so long." Kentaro murmured softly, pulling his wife out of her chair and into his lap. "Before you know it, the time will be over."

"But Kentaro Jr. is so young…" Sayuri protested. "He needs a father."

"It's better this way." Kentaro insisted, his fingers stroking Sayuri's arm as his lips pressed gentle kisses along her neck. "When he is older, he will never remember that I was ever gone. And he'll grow up in a world without war."

"I suppose you're right." Sayuri sighed. "But I'll miss you so much…"

"Show me how much." Kentaro whispered, carrying his wife into their bedroom. He steeled himself for what was to come, covering his distaste for Sayuri with honeyed words and tender caresses.

It was all worth it. When his plan succeeded, he would be rid of both his meek wife and his namby-pamby son, and he would be in an even better position to make himself invaluable to Sosai.

Kentaro Washio would be useful again.


	4. Thirteen Years Ago

_**Thirteen Years Ago**_

The small boy crouched at the seashore, fascinated with the movement of the water as it lapped close to his feet. He shuffled forward slightly, leaning down to touch the gentle blue-green waves, and was rewarded with an unexpected surge washing over his feet. His new shoes were completely soaked through. His mother would be angry.

She had warned the boy to stay close, and to keep dry, and here he had disobeyed her on both counts. And yet, even though the boy hadn't followed instructions, he somehow felt justified in doing so. Even at the age of five, he already understood that some rules were arbitrary, and such strictures were better ignored.

Still, the boy loved his mother, and knew that she would be distressed if she couldn't find him. Reluctantly, the boy sighed, making a half-hearted attempt to brush the sand from the knees of his pants. Slowly he moved forward, making his way back over the dunes that seemed almost like mountains to a person of his small stature.

He was nearly at the top of the last sand dune when a loud, sharp sound disturbed the quiet peacefulness of the late afternoon. Instinctively, the boy froze for a moment, his young mind uncertain of what to do. For despite his youth, the boy already knew what the sound was.

A gunshot.

Even as he thought about his options, the boy heard the dreadful sound again.

Adrenaline surged through the boy's body, and he scrambled over the top of the dune, only to behold a terrifying sight.

His mother and father were still sitting at the beachside table where the boy had left them only a few minutes before, but now, instead of chatting amiably and smiling, they were unmoving. He saw a faint trickle of blood coming from beneath his mother's head.

The boy cried out in distress, rushing forward to confirm that this wasn't real. It _couldn't_ be happening!

But even as he neared his parents, the boy saw that it was, indeed, horribly real. A woman wearing a greenish-blue mask stood nearby, and he heard her soft laughter as she witnessed his distress. The boy knew what she was. He had been warned by his parents to stay away from such people, for they could surely kill him.

Just as this woman had apparently killed his parents.

If she was going to kill him too, then the boy had nothing to lose. A red rage filled his vision as he grabbed at a gun he saw in his father's hand, pulling it free and then raising the firearm at the masked woman. Instinctively, he aimed at her head, knowing that he would only have one chance to claim his revenge for his parents' murder. He cocked the gun and pointed, moving slowly toward her.

But rather than attack, the masked woman's reaction was to laugh mockingly, her body almost shaking with mirth.

"This happens to anyone who betrays Galactor." she said. "The sins of the father are the sins of the son. So then, if you want to bear a grudge then go to Hell and bear it against your parents, who betrayed Galactor and all it stands for."

Even as she spoke, she casually tossed a rose from her fingers into the air. Fascinated despite himself, the boy's eyes followed the flower as it arced through the air, approaching his position, and finally landing on the ground.

Just before it touched the sand, the boy realized what it was. He threw his body in the opposite direction, but that was not enough to protect him from the main blast of the resulting explosion. The force of the detonation propelled him further away, surrounding him with flames and death.

Fire and pain surged through him, but the boy only had one thought in his mind.

He had failed to get his revenge.


	5. Twelve Years Ago

_**Twelve Years Ago**_

Kentaro Washio angrily threw the message disc into the nearby fireplace, the resulting sparks doing little to subdue the anger rising inside of him. The message was supposed to have contained the news that Kentaro had been waiting over two years for.

But it had not.

Kozaburo Nambu had been pleased to inform him that his wife and son still lived. In fact, it seemed that his son was now thriving!

This was _not_ how it was supposed to have been! Kentaro had wormed his way into Kozaburo Nambu's research by acting as an ISO test pilot, and had then been assigned to investigate security matters in the country of Hontwal, as Sosai had desired for him. Dr. Nambu had helped Kentaro Washio stage his own death, and he had founded the Red Impulse Squadron. He had forsaken his own name, and was now known to everyone, except Kozaburo, as Red Impulse. His Squadron was small, consisting only of himself, Masaki and Oniishi, but they were at the forefront of UN undercover work and precision military strikes. The information he had been able to pass on to Sosai had been invaluable, and Galactor's forces and resources had grown by leaps and bounds.

His 'friendship' with Kozaburo Nambu had also paid dividends. Nambu was now one of the ISO's top researchers and was clearly still moving upward. It was even rumored that the young Doctor might become the head of the entire International Science Organization, especially if this 'Mantle Plan' he was in the midst of designing was even half as productive as it was predicted to be.

Kozaburo Nambu had proven to be a most beneficial contact.

Red Impulse had done everything that he had promised Sosai, and more. He had remained loyal to Sosai and Galactor, and had not openly thwarted Berg Katse in his leadership of the Syndicate.

And how had this loyalty been repaid?

All Kentaro Washio had asked of Sosai was to have his wife and son eliminated. But Sosai had relegated that task to Berg Katse, who of course had bungled the job. At times, Kentaro wondered if his rival had done this on purpose, to torment him. After all, if it were Kentaro Washio whom Sosai had named Leader of Galactor, he would not hesitate to rub Berg Katse's pointed nose in that fact.

Katse's operatives were supposed to have infected Kentaro's wife and son with a virulent disease that would have killed them both within hours, or days at the most. Instead, their infection plan had been flawed, and Sayuri and Kentaro Jr. had only been subjected to the tiniest of doses. Sayuri had weakened, and was now quite sickly. But she had been hanging on for years, and was likely to live for a few years more. What was worse, Kentaro Jr. appeared to be immune to the disease altogether, and he was actually proving to be quite healthy, in his weakling way.

Sayuri's illness required her to be under twenty-four hour a day care, so the boy was currently living with Dr. Nambu. That, at least, was poetic justice. By creating a relationship with this tedious scientist, Kentaro Washio had had someone upon whom to foist his unwanted offspring. There was no room in the life of Red Impulse for a child.

At least, if the brat had been too ill-mannered to die, as he had been supposed to, he was no longer a burden to Red Impulse. By a strange twist of fate, Kozaburo was actually growing fond of the child, and was even calling him by the name of 'Ken'. Red Impulse had snickered when he had first learned of this. He knew that the scientist still harbored a hopeless infatuation for Sayuri, and was likely pretending that 'Ken' was actually _his_ son, rather than the child of Kentaro Washio. It was pathetic, but it served Red Impulse's purpose. Nambu had told the boy that his father had died, and it was the truth.

Red Impulse had no family. His wife and son were severed from him.

If only his wife would die!

Sayuri had been lingering on for far too long, and was bound to start voicing suspicion eventually that her husband wasn't coming back as he had promised, particularly in light of her illness. Unfortunately, another attempt on her life and the life of Kentaro Jr. would be too suspicious, and so there was no choice but to leave the status quo intact.

Red Impulse walked unobtrusively down the street, slipping into a building so quietly that no one noticed him. Anywhere else, his white suit might have stood out, but here in tropical Hontwal he was just another simple businessman. It had been Sosai who had first asked him to come to this small country and work on the alien entity's behalf. Since then, he had been doing so, while presenting the image of 'investigating terrorist activity' to the UN.

"Did you have any luck?" Masaki asked, looking up as Red Impulse entered.

"Yes." he nodded. "How about you two?"

"We found something." Oniishi grinned.

"Galactor is looking to buy surplus military grade Reductium." Red Impulse revealed, cutting off Oniishi before he could continue. Once that man got going it was impossible to get a word in edgewise. Sometimes it was enough to make Red Impulse want to poke out his own eardrums.

"We heard that too, Captain." Masaki replied. Red Impulse winced at the 'nickname' his men had given him. He was a full Colonel in rank, damn it! But they insisted on calling him 'Captain' as some kind of joke. It rankled every time he heard it, but Red Impulse wasn't about to let on that such a thing grated on him.

"But did you know that a deal is scheduled to take place tonight, at a StefCo Metals warehouse on the edge of town?" Oniishi added.

As Oniishi launched into a detailed story about how he and Masaki had uncovered this information, Red Impulse swore softly to himself. He had been hoping to give his men a false lead, interrupting a minor transaction, but the information his team had obtained was good, as the StefCo meeting was of significant importance to the Galactor organization.

Now Red Impulse's hand was forced. Sosai would have to be warned.

At least, most of the failure to keep this meeting a secret rested with Berg Katse. As Oniishi continued his drawn-out tale, Red Impulse learned that his men had uncovered these confidential details due to the carelessness of a couple of drunken Galactor agents at a local bar. This would definitely reflect poorly on Katse.

Perhaps this wouldn't turn out so badly for Red Impulse, after all.

88888

A few hours later, three figures dressed in black hid in the shadows of a StefCo Metals warehouse on the edge of Hontwal. At the appropriate moment, Red Impulse motioned his men forward, silently indicating that they should move closer and initiate their 'plan' of action to stop the transaction that was taking place between the CEO of StefCo and the Galactor agent they saw conversing quietly before them. Masaki and Oniishi nodded in acceptance of the order, moving out from their places of concealment to commence their attack.

But that attack never came.

Instead, the two found themselves standing in shocked surprise as rifle barrels were pressed to their temples. Red Impulse moved forward, allowing himself to be 'caught' as well. They were surrounded by at least a dozen green-uniformed Galactor soldiers; the troops Red Impulse had begun referring to as 'goons'.

"So, it looks like we have three rats." leered the Galactor representative who had been speaking with the CEO. From their secret video communication earlier that evening, Red Impulse knew that the man's name was Commander Garin. Garin had seemed to understand Red Impulse's situation, and struck the Colonel as a reasonable man. Red Impulse just hoped that Commander Garin would stick to the plan they had devised.

Garin did.

"Well, well, Blaz." Garin snickered. "Look at this. Three UN spies, I'll bet." The StefCo CEO reached up to his neck, pulling at his skin. His hand came away, taking a mask along with it and revealing another person's face underneath.

"A setup!" Masaki hissed, his face pale.

"It looks like you're right, Garin." Blaz smirked, tossing the mask carelessly to the ground. "I think they need to be punished."

"But which one first?" Garin grinned nastily, as his men divested the three Red Impulse team members of their weapons, except for the Colonel's boot knife. Red Impulse had told Garin to ensure that his soldiers did not search his body in that place.

So far, so good. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Red Impulse wanted to laugh out loud when he saw the expressions of shock and dismay on Masaki and Oniishi's faces. If only they knew who had _truly_ betrayed them.

Garin's gaze alighted ever so briefly on Red Impulse, and the Colonel flickered his little finger slightly toward his target. This would be justice, pure and simple. And all the better that it solved another ongoing problem as well.

"You." Garin snarled, pointing at Oniishi. "_You_ are going to pay the price, for thinking that you could subvert the might of Galactor." At the Galactor Commander's insistence, some of his goons brought Oniishi forward, while the rest restrained Masaki and Red Impulse. The Galactor soldiers forced Oniishi down to a kneeling position in front of Garin.

"Here's what we do to spies." Garin spat, pulling a wicked-looking blade from his sleeve. Viciously, Garin pried Oniishi's jaws open, barely managing to avoid the UN operative's snapping teeth before thrusting in an oddly-designed restraint. The device forced Oniishi to keep his mouth open, preventing him from closing it.

Blaz laughed, grabbing Oniishi's head and holding it still, as six Galactor goons held the UN spy down. Masaki's eyes widened in horror as he saw Garin use a set of metal tongs to stretch out Oniishi's tongue. The Galactor Commander's knife flashed through the air, slicing the organ from Oniishi's mouth, before Garin tossed it in the dirt.

"I'd like to hear you make your report _now_, UN pig!" Blaz taunted Oniishi, spitting in the mutilated man's face.

It was time.

Red Impulse caught Garin's eye, nodding just enough to communicate his thanks for the favor the Galactor Commander had done him, before moving to the next stage of their plan.

Quickly, Red Impulse shot his elbow up behind him, crushing the nose of the green-uniformed goon holding his right side, and sending sharp shards of bone into the man's brain. Then the Colonel bent down, rapidly retrieving the knife he had secreted in his right boot. Red Impulse slashed the weapon across the throats of the other two men holding him.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Colonel saw Garin grinning at him. Red Impulse had just returned the favor, eliminating three men who had been a thorn in the Galactor Commander's side.

Masaki used the surprise of the men restraining him to his advantage, fighting for all he was worth. Garin and Blaz dropped Oniishi into the dirt, laughing as they fled the scene, right on time to make the newly re-scheduled and re-located Reductium transfer with the real StefCo Metals CEO.

The remaining soldiers were no match for Red Impulse and Masaki, and it wasn't long before the pair was pulling Oniishi to his feet as Masaki cursed under his breath.

"Galactor scum!" he muttered viciously. "Oniishi, we'll get you medical attention as fast as we can. Damn it! Could that have gone any worse?"

Red Impulse laughed softly to himself. As far as he was concerned, it couldn't have gone any better.


	6. Twelve Years Ago 2

_**Twelve Years Ago**_

"You have a visitor."

The boy did not look up from the toy cars with which he was playing. He made engine noises from deep in his throat, racing the cars along an imaginary track. The boy did not know or care who this visitor was.

All he knew was that he wanted to be left alone.

"You will come with me."

The boy continued playing, and the only sign that he had heard his teacher's voice was an increase in the volume of his engine sound effects.

"_Now_."

The boy found himself unceremoniously hauled to his feet, as the teacher pulled on his arm. He sighed, reluctantly dropping the toy vehicles to the floor. The boy refused to speak, but kept his eyes sullenly downcast as the older woman practically dragged him to the Visiting Room. For a woman with a head full of grey hairs, she was surprisingly strong.

Whoever this visitor was, the boy knew that they wouldn't have anything interesting to say. The boy was only interested in one thing, and this school wasn't the place to further his goals.

The boy wanted revenge.

He was nearly six years old, and did not know the exact word for what he desired, but the concept… the _meaning_… of revenge was perfectly clear in his mind.

Galactor had taken his parents away from him.

Galactor would pay.

Just as most other boys his age desired to be the biggest and the strongest, so too did this boy. The only difference was that he had no desire to rule the playground.

His only desire was to make sense of his parents' deaths.

The boy and his teacher entered the Visiting Room, but the boy kept his eyes on his shoes, not looking up to see whom it was that wanted to speak with him. Likely it was another doctor who would want the boy to talk about his feelings.

The boy did not want to talk; he wanted to _act_. The boy's general refusal to speak had enabled him to remain alone, but from time to time it brought him the disadvantage of doctors. The boy gritted his teeth, determined to make it through this session, just as he had all of the others, without uttering a word.

"How is he doing?" the boy heard an unfamiliar male voice ask.

"Pretty much as you see here." the boy's teacher sighed. "He appears to be intelligent enough, but he refuses to speak or interact with anyone, even the other boys his age. I'm sorry, Dr. Nambu, but I'm not sure there's much more we can do for him at this institution. He's been here for nearly a year, and there has been no change at all. He needs specialized care."

The boy grimaced. He had been right. It _was_ another doctor. He heard his teacher's footsteps and the closing of the door behind her as she left the room, and instinctively knew that he was alone with the new doctor.

Yet still, the boy did not look up.

"Giorgio…" the Doctor said, but he was only met with a stony silence.

"Giorgio, I can understand why you don't want to talk." the Doctor spoke again. "You have been through a terrible ordeal. Seeing your parents murdered is a horrible thing."

The boy looked up sharply, assessing the man in front of him. He had not told anyone of his parents' death, and as far as he knew, no one else was aware of it. His eyes glared at the Doctor, and the boy was pleased to see the mustached man flinch back from the menace in his gaze.

Satisfied, the boy bowed his head again, returning to his contemplation of the floor.

"I must apologize." the Doctor began again. "I enrolled you in this boarding school, thinking that it would help to bring you out of your reclusive shell. But I can see that being at this institution has only been to your detriment."

The boy didn't understand some of the words the Doctor was using, but one thing did sink into his young mind.

It was _this_ man who had been responsible for sending the boy to this school.

"I hate it here."

The Doctor appeared to be startled by the boy's words, as indeed he should have been. These were the first words the boy had ever spoken to him, and they were filled with an angry resentment that would have been unsettling in an adult. Yet the Doctor did not react negatively to the boy's statement.

"I can see that." The Doctor's voice was amused. "According to your teacher's reports, you do the bare minimum of work, and don't interact with anyone else. Other than sitting by yourself, your only interest seems to be in fighting with the other boys… and in cars."

The Doctor was reading from the boy's file, and his voice took on a note of surprise at this last piece of data.

The boy continued to stare at the floor, since he had already stated all that needed to be said.

"When I found you on BC Island, you were severely injured from an explosion." the Doctor continued. "I brought you to a hospital far away from the area, and you spent six months recovering. I'm not entirely certain how much of this you remember, Giorgio…" The Doctor stopped speaking, as if waiting for a response.

The boy shook his head angrily, vainly attempting to stop the flow of memories of that terrible day… his last day on BC Island.

The day his parents had been killed.

But what about after that? The boy thought hard, attempting to recall. He had pulled the gun from his father's hand, pointed it at the green-faced woman, and she had thrown the flower… and then?

Try as he might, the only other thing the boy could remember was waking up in a hospital, and being sent to this sorry excuse for a school shortly afterward.

The boy looked up at the Doctor, noticing for the first time that the man wore glasses. They had very thin frames and no arms, making them nearly invisible to a quick glance.

Behind those glasses was a pair of eyes that were regarding him with a strange emotion… the boy couldn't put a name to it, but he knew that the last time he had seen anything like this had been in his mother's countenance…

The boy shook his head curtly, his head down and his eyes squeezed shut in a tenuous attempt to hold back the threat of tears.

"Giorgio…" the Doctor approached the boy, and he could sense the older man's presence in front of him.

"I would like you to come and live with me."

The boy did not respond to the Doctor's statement. He didn't know how he felt about such a proposal. The man was a stranger to him. Still, the idea of getting out of this school was extremely appealing.

"I know you like to fight." the Doctor continued. "I could teach you how to fight, and _when_ to fight. But even more, I could protect you."

"Protect me?"

The boy had uttered the words before he had known what he was doing. He hated the helplessness in his voice as he had said them. But the question had already been uttered, and it was too late to take them back now.

"Yes." the Doctor nodded seriously, as the boy looked into his eyes. "I know that it was Galactor who killed your parents."

The boy sucked in his breath with an angry hiss. Galactor… all he dreamed of was of getting revenge against Galactor. To cause them the pain that they had caused him, and pay it back in spades.

"I see that you remember Galactor." the Doctor noted dryly. "Galactor does not know that you survived that day on the beach, Giorgio. If they did, they would come here, to kill you."

The boy felt a surge of panic rush through him. He was ashamed at his weakness, but he knew the truth. He wasn't ready. The last time he had picked up a gun and not even managed to shoot. Could be defend himself if Galactor came for him here? Now?

"If you are with me, I can protect you." the Doctor repeated his earlier statement. "And I can teach you to fight; to defend yourself. Would you like that, Giorgio?"

Instinctively, the boy nodded. He wasn't entirely certain why, but there was something about this man that he instinctively trusted. He didn't quite understand everything that the Doctor had said, but he was able to comprehend the underlying message.

"Good." the Doctor smiled, standing up and placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Then, why don't we go and speak with the school administrator, about ending your stay here?"

88888

The Doctor had lied to him.

Okay, he hadn't exactly lied, but he had neglected to tell the boy one very important piece of information.

There was _another_ boy.

His name was Ken.

The boy met Ken the first day he arrived at Dr. Nambu's villa. The Doctor walked the boy to some kind of recreation room, and Ken was already there, playing with an array of toy airplanes. The boy recoiled instinctively, not wanting to be bothered by another child.

"Giorgio, this is Ken." the Doctor introduced them. "Ken, this is Giorgio." Both boys eyed each other, sizing up their competition.

"Ken recently moved in with me." the Doctor continued, addressing them both. "Giorgio is now going to live here as well. I hope that the two of you will become friends."

Ken appeared to find this idea as distasteful as the boy did. The boy wasn't certain whether he should be pleased or offended by this reaction.

"Giorgio doesn't talk very much." the Doctor informed Ken. "And as the newcomer, it should not be up to _him_ to break the ice." Nambu's voice was quiet, but the reprimand was clearly present.

"Yes, Hakase." Ken sighed, standing up and walking over, sticking out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Giorgio."

The boy looked away, pointedly ignoring the proffered hand. But rather than be angry, the Doctor merely walked away.

"You boys behave yourselves." Nambu instructed them as he left the room.

The moment the Doctor had left, Ken's hand dropped to his side, and he returned to his toy airplanes. The boy moved over to the corner of the room, leaning back against the wall, crossing his arms and observing Ken through lowered lids. Once he had assumed this position he did not move, but simply watched.

Ken ignored the boy, picking up his airplanes, swooshing them through the air and making appropriate accompanying noises. From the sounds Ken uttered, the boy knew that these airplanes were supposed to have guns.

After some time, Ken finally turned to look at the boy.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he asked impatiently.

The boy did not respond.

"Don't you want to play?"

The boy regarded Ken with a stony expression.

"Fine. I'll play by myself." Ken pouted, neglecting the fact that this was actually what he had been doing ever since the Doctor had left the room.

"I'm a fighter pilot!" Ken declared proudly, waving his plane around. "Just like my Daddy! My Daddy was the best fighter pilot there ever was!"

The boy was too incensed by Ken's reference to his father to catch any other implication in his words. A red haze of anger clouded the boy's view. How dare Ken talk about fathers? _His_ father was apparently some kind of hero, and all the boy could say about his own father was that he was dead.

"My Daddy was the best pilot the UN ever had!" Ken bragged. "He got medals and everything! I'm going to be just like my Daddy, shooting the bad guys in my plane… Boom! Boom!"

Ken moved his planes around, adding in his sound effects, oblivious to the anger coming off of the boy in waves.

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Ken asked innocently, his big blue eyes staring up at the boy. When Ken got no reply, he began playing again.

"This is my Daddy's plane, and this is the bad guy's plane." he explained to the boy.

But that was as far as Ken got.

The boy launched himself at Ken, driven to wipe the smirk from his face. He landed on top of his opponent, throwing the type of vicious punch that had always knocked out the bullies at his old school.

Except on this occasion, the boy's fist did not connect with his opponent's face. Instead, the boy's knuckles slammed into the hard floor, and sharp pain shot up through his fingers. However the shock of actually having missed his target was nothing compared to the utter astonishment he felt when Ken slipped out from underneath him and shot around to the boy's back, twisting his arm and effectively immobilizing him.

"I win!" Ken smirked, and although the boy couldn't see his opponent's face, he _heard_ the grin on Ken's lips. "You fight like a ruffian!"

The boy had no idea what a 'ruffian' was, but it was clear that it couldn't be good. The boy focused his mind and kicked out with his legs, knocking Ken's feet out from under him and sending his opponent tumbling to the ground. Ken fell hard, crying out as he hit the floor. The boy took advantage of this change of status, turning and throwing punch after punch at Ken for all he was worth. Ken returned the action, and in short order the two were rolling around on the floor, brawling and shouting. It was nearly a quarter of an hour later that they finally broke apart, panting and grunting and moaning in pain, sweating with their exertions.

"I take it back." Ken gasped. "You're a good fighter."

"You too."

The boy was telling the truth. He had regularly fought bullies twice his age and size, and had never found himself at nearly the disadvantage that he had when he had been opposing Ken.

"I've been practicing." Ken revealed. "Hakase sends in trainers to teach me. Sometimes, Hakase even joins us. He's pretty good."

The boy found that hard to believe. Somehow, he couldn't see Dr. Nambu fighting under any circumstances.

"Maybe you could come too, Giorgio." Ken suggested. "My Daddy always said…"

"Stop!" the boy barked. He didn't have the energy to fight again so soon, but at the same time, he couldn't deal with hearing Ken go on about his father once more.

"I was just saying that my Daddy…" Ken's voice faltered as he saw the boy glaring at him. Sudden understanding dawned on his face.

"I can talk about my Daddy, if I want to!" Ken shouted. "He was the best Daddy! I wish he was here now, instead of dead in his plane! He's much better than you!"

"Dead?"

This made all the difference to the boy. He felt an unexpected bond with Ken, and this made him more inclined to talk.

"Me too."

"What?" Ken's head shot up and he looked sharply at the boy. "You… your Daddy is dead too?" The boy nodded sharply, then bowed his head.

"My Daddy was killed by Galactor." Ken offered. "They sa… sabotaged his plane."

The boy didn't know what 'sabotage' meant, but he got the general idea. The similarity of his situation to Ken's led him to share a confidence with the other boy.

"Galactor killed my Papa… and Mama…"

"My Mommy's alive." Ken volunteered. "But she's very sick. She has to stay at the hospital, so I have to live here with Hakase. Mommy misses Daddy too. That's why she changed my name."

The boy looked questioningly at Ken.

"My real name is Kentaro." Ken offered. "But that was my Daddy's name, too. Mommy calls me 'Ken', now."

The boy didn't hear all of Ken's words, because an idea was forming in his mind.

He could reinvent himself, as Ken had done… but _better_. The boy didn't want to be angry and scared anymore. He wanted to be strong and tough. He wanted to learn how to fight, and use his skills to kill the Galactors who had killed his parents.

And he would start as Ken had: with a new name.

"Joe." he said quietly.

"What?"

Ken clearly hadn't expected the boy to say anything further.

"My name is Joe." He had chosen to shorten his birth name, as Ken himself had done. "I want to learn to fight too."

"I'm sure Hakase will let you, Joe."

Somehow, Joe knew that Hakase would.

88888

A few weeks later, Joe celebrated his seventh birthday with very little fanfare. Dr. Nambu had his cook bake a cake, and there were even a few gifts of clothes and toy cars. But there was one unexpected event that turned the day into one that Joe would never forget.

After dinner, Hakase sent Ken to attend to his schoolwork, but asked Joe to remain behind. Ken was clearly suspicious, but being ever obedient, he did as he was asked anyway.

Joe snorted softly. You would never catch him blindly following some stupid directions. He couldn't understand why Ken just did whatever Dr. Nambu asked of him, without questioning anything. Couldn't Ken think for himself?

When Joe would ask Ken about it, Ken would shrug.

"Hakase is a grown-up. We _have_ to do what he says!"

"But _why_?" Joe would insist, and Ken could never come up with a satisfactory answer.

When Joe ignored rules and did as he wanted, Ken was aghast, although sometimes Joe could actually convince Ken to break the rules too. But usually it was Joe doing as he wished while Ken followed whatever directions Dr. Nambu had laid out for that day.

Expecting a lecture on his behavior, Joe was surprised when Dr. Nambu led him to a wing of the house that Joe had never visited before. The Doctor walked down a large hallway, and at the end was a slim elevator.

Joe's eyes widened as the Doctor punched in an access code, calling the elevator up.

"MPSTG2." Nambu said out loud.

When Joe looked at him in confusion, the Doctor repeated himself.

"MPSTG2. It's your personal code to access this elevator, Joe. You won't forget, will you?"

Joe shook his head vigorously. Something told him that this was very important.

The elevator arrived, and the pair stepped inside. The small box was barely big enough for two, and now Joe's curiosity was bursting.

But he didn't have to wait too long to learn where they were going. The elevator stopped and opened up, revealing a nearly featureless metal corridor beyond its doors.

"This is where my laboratory is located." Nambu explained, gesturing off to the left. "But we are going this way." The doctor pulled Joe off to the right and through a nearby doorway.

The room beyond was nearly empty. It was a very long chamber; perhaps a hundred meters across. Large sheets of paper were held by clips that dangled from the ceiling, and suddenly Joe knew what this place had been designed for.

It was a shooting range.

"Today, you are seven years old, Joe." Dr. Nambu said seriously. "And I think that you are old enough for this responsibility."

Joe nodded nervously. He was excited and scared at the same time.

"You may recall the ability tests I administered to you, shortly after you first arrived here." Nambu continued. "The results indicated that you had a tremendous aptitude for skills involving hand-eye coordination, especially marksmanship."

Joe looked at the Doctor, uncertain as to whether or not the man was saying what Joe hoped he was saying.

"I'd like you to start learning how to shoot, Joe." Nambu explained. "But I don't just want you to pick up a gun and spray bullets everywhere. I want you to fire with great accuracy and speed."

The seemingly mild mannered scientist walked over to the wall, taking a small rifle from a case that had been installed there. The case required the Doctor's handprint to unlock. After removing the weapon and a small box of ammunition, Nambu loaded the rifle.

To Joe's astonishment, Dr. Nambu held up the gun, keeping the butt of the weapon against the side of his shoulder, just above his chest. He took aim at the furthest target and shot once. Carefully, he put down the rifle and then pressed a button on a nearby panel. This initiated a whirring noise, and Joe realized that one of the clips in the ceiling was moving along a thin track built into the support beams. The clip brought the target closer to them.

As the paper approached, Joe could see the dark shape of a human body on the target. In the center, where the stomach would be, was a small hole. Joe was amazed at the accuracy of the Doctor's shot, but Nambu grimaced.

"Not too good." he said, shaking his head. "This wouldn't immediately kill an enemy attacking me. It's better to hit the head, through the brain, Joe." the Doctor instructed.

"The head?" Joe repeated.

"Yes." Nambu nodded. "In the movies, people get shot in the heart and die, but in real life, a shot that has the instantaneous effect of stopping the heart is difficult to achieve. A shot to the throat works well, because it will often instantly paralyze, even if it doesn't kill. Hitting the jugular vein is especially effective if you're trying to introduce fast-acting fatal poisons into the body."

Joe slowly digested all of this information.

"Can I try?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." the Doctor nodded, handing him the rifle. "See what you can do."

Joe held up the rifle somewhat awkwardly, attempting to duplicate Nambu's positioning. The Doctor reached down and helped him adjust the weapon.

"Look through the sights, along the barrel of the gun, but not until you're ready to shoot." Nambu instructed. "You don't want to fatigue your eyes. Once you've aimed to your satisfaction, gently squeeze the trigger. Don't pull too hard."

Unlike usual, Joe did exactly as the Doctor told him, raising the rifle until it was level with his eyes and then looking down the barrel at a new target about twenty feet away. Carefully, he squeezed the trigger, feeling the rifle recoil and push into his body as the bullet exited the firearm. For a moment, it almost seemed as if time had slowed down, as Joe visually tracked the small projectile moving forward, approaching the target and then tearing its way through the paper. A rush of adrenaline surged through him, and he suddenly let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding.

"Excellent, Joe!" Dr. Nambu said, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Your bullet hit the target directly in the eye. That's incredible for your first attempt…" A strange expression crossed the Doctor's face.

"This _is_ your first time holding a gun, isn't it, Joe?" Nambu asked quietly.

_He was pulling a gun from his dead father's hand… raising it at the masked woman…_

"I've never shot a gun before." Joe said brusquely.

It was true. This was so very different from that day on the beach. Back then, he had simply been reacting; too frightened and angry to think properly. But this… he had kept a cool head and had analyzed the situation, aiming and firing almost instinctively. It hadn't been a perfect shot. He had actually been aiming _between_ the target's eyes, in the exact center of the head. But it had been close, and good enough to kill.

He wanted more.

Joe wanted to try again; to improve. If he could do this, then he was capable of killing people… of killing _Galactors_.

"I would like you to practice, Joe." Nambu said, as if reading his mind. "Try a few more shots."

For the next hour, the Doctor watched as Joe shot the rifle again and again, moving the target to twenty-five feet away, and then thirty. Each time he fired the weapon, Joe learned something about its behavior, and used that new data the next time he attempted a shot. Every result was better than the one before, and by the time the hour was up, Joe could tell that even the usually unflappable Doctor was impressed.

"This is excellent work, Joe." Nambu praised him. "I want you to come down here every day and practice. Next week, I will test you with the rifle."

Joe nodded, his eyes shining. This was something he could connect with, not to mention something that would help him in his desire for revenge against Galactor. Back at his old school, Dr. Nambu had promised to teach him how to fight. The Doctor was not only fulfilling that promise by involving Joe in the daily martial arts lessons, but now also with this.

"Thank you."

Nambu's eyes met Joe's, and the intensity of the emotion there was so strong that Joe had to look away after a moment.

But he knew that the Doctor understood.

88888

Joe practiced at the shooting range every day. After two weeks, Dr. Nambu gave him access to a pistol, and that began a series of training where Joe learned how to fire smaller weapons; holding the gun out and away from his body, supporting it with two hands, or sometimes one.

By the time Ken turned seven years old a month later, Joe was already proficient with both larger and smaller firearms, enough so that Dr. Nambu trusted him with instructing Ken in their use. Ken didn't take to it as rapidly as Joe had, but within a few weeks he became a decent shot.

Their martial arts lessons continued as well. Dr. Nambu had a Sensei visit each morning to teach them the ways of Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Jujitsu, and Kickboxing. Ken was clearly more accomplished in this kind of combat than Joe, which was understandable, as he had been studying these forms of combat for a longer period of time. Ken's movements were both lethal and graceful, while Joe's were sharp and crude, albeit no less effective.

After observing their progress during a lesson one day, Dr. Nambu also extended Joe's and Ken's training to include gymnastic elements. At first, both boys protested that this was too 'girly', but after seeing the combat advantage that increased flexibility and the ability to flip and turn gave them, they approached these lessons with the same seriousness they had for fighting and firearms.

Of course, on top of all of this, they had a tutor who instructed them in their more 'traditional' school lessons. Neither boy excelled in this area, but their academic performances were sufficient to satisfy Dr. Nambu.

Notwithstanding the seemingly heavy schedule, Ken and Joe had enough time to swim in the villa's pool every day, and play with their collections of toy and model vehicles. Despite their differences, the two boys gradually developed a strong friendship, and their relationship became something akin to that of brothers. Ken's hero worship of his dead father still irritated Joe, but he found that he was able to tune out Ken's overly effusive paternal praise when he had to.

Ken's mother passed away of her mysterious illness about a year after Joe had come to live at Dr. Nambu's villa. It was something of a turning point. Now Joe and Ken were both closest to each other. While Ken still spoke of his parents, he mentioned them less and less, and focused more on the here and now, as Joe had learned to do during the rare occasions when memories of his own parents surfaced.

For three years, Joe and Ken worked and played together, learning a variety of skills and getting to know each other like brothers.

Joe thought that nothing could impact their idyllic existence.

Of course, he was wrong.


	7. Eight Years Ago

_**Eight Years Ago**_

Shortly after both Joe and Ken turned ten years of age, another boy came to live at Dr. Nambu's house. He was only two years old, and his name was Jinpei.

Of course, being so young, Jinpei never attended any lessons with Joe and Ken, and he had a nanny who watched over him most of the day, while Dr. Nambu was working. For the most part, Joe and Ken only saw Jinpei at mealtimes. Yet his mere presence in the villa was a visible reminder that they were not the only focus of Dr. Nambu's unorthodox brand of nurturing.

And Jinpei wasn't a 'fade into the background' kind of kid. At mealtimes he was loud and boisterous, whether he was happy or tantruming. Sometimes he would shout for 'keet', although mostly, when he was angry, he would scream, "Want doon! Doon!"

Joe had no idea what 'doon' was, but he had no interest in finding out, unless it would shut the darn kid up.

About a month later, Jinpei got his wish. 'Doon' turned out to be _Jun_, a scrawny girl covered in a mass of old bruises who turned up during dinner one night. She sat down quietly, looking only at her plate, except when an exuberant Jinpei demanded her attention.

Dr. Nambu explained that Jun was eight and a half years old, and that she had been living at an orphanage with Jinpei. She was to begin school lessons, gymnastics, and martial arts training with Joe and Ken.

This was a much more distressing development. Apparently, Dr. Nambu had specifically been visiting the orphanage, searching for a child to adopt, although why he had chosen the introverted Jun and the rambunctious Jinpei was a mystery. Joe resolved that he wasn't about to let this new girl ruin things for him.

But Jun seemed to make it her business to remain unnoticed. During school lessons she sat in the corner, as far away from Joe and Ken as possible, hardly speaking at all. During gymnastics and martial arts training, she worked by herself at the edge of the room, letting the Sensei spend their time with the boys. She only received instruction while Joe and Ken were practicing.

It was as if Jun didn't _want_ to be noticed, and didn't want to be a bother. Even at mealtimes, she took it upon herself to deal with Jinpei, and soon dinners were peaceful once more. Dr. Nambu cut back on the nanny's hours, and Jun watched the toddler every moment she wasn't in school or training. For Joe, it was almost too good to be true.

It only took him a few months to see the problem.

Jun was _good_ at everything she did. In the schoolroom, she was working on the same material as Joe and Ken, although she was eighteen months younger than they were. In fact, she would often complete her assignments faster than they did, and bury her nose in some old chemistry books the teacher had given to her.

In gymnastics, Jun had a natural grace that Joe simply could not achieve. He could perform the maneuvers, but not with the style and fluidity that Ken had, and Jun outshone both boys easily. She was soon learning in tandem with the boys, although she made sure to keep her distance at all times. Martial arts classes were another story. Clearly Joe and Ken were superior at this style of fighting, having worked at it for years, but Jun approached the training with a grim determination that surprised Joe. He quickly began to see that he and Ken had stagnated in their advancement as Jun rapidly mastered the basic techniques.

The boys had to devote themselves to training twice as hard, in order to maintain the same degree of proficiency above Jun's rapidly rising abilities. It was difficult work, and there were days when Joe dropped into bed utterly exhausted, yet determined that no girl was going to beat him in this.

But Joe had to admit to himself that somewhere along the way, he had developed a grudging respect for Jun, although she had never directly spoken a word to him. In a way, she reminded Joe of what he had been like at his boarding school, before Dr. Nambu had brought him to live at the villa.

One evening, after everyone else had retired for the night, Joe was walking to the Recreation Room that he and Ken used in their free time. He was surprised to see a light coming from within, and he poked his head curiously inside.

Jun was standing at a table with her back to him, poring over a large drawing of some kind. Joe moved closer to see what it was, unconsciously using the noiseless approach that the Sensei had taught him in his martial arts studies. He peered over Jun's shoulder.

"A motorcycle?" he exclaimed in surprise.

Jun nearly hit the ceiling in shock before she scrambled to grab the motorcycle schematics in front of her, hurriedly rolling them up and edging away from Joe.

"Go away." she hissed, her eyes staring daggers.

"Why should I?" Joe smirked, crossing his arms and doing his best to look intimidating. "This is _our_ Recreation Room. I have as much of a right to be here as you do."

The disappointment on Jun's face told him that she recognized that this was true. She moved to the edge of the room, giving Joe as wide a berth as possible, clearly intending to make a break for the exit.

Joe beat her there.

For all that Jun was fast, Joe was faster. She would have to go directly past him to get out, and he was a far better fighter than she. He leaned against the doorframe, blocking the exit.

Jun was effectively trapped.

"Why are you looking at motorcycle plans?" Joe asked her, his eyebrow arching curiously. "Where did you get them?"

Jun looked around frantically, but she quickly realized that she had no recourse but to answer. She sighed heavily.

"I want to build it."

Joe's jaw almost dropped open in surprise. He had recently given some thought to assembling car engines, but hadn't dreamed of building an entire vehicle by himself.

"_You_ made those plans?" he asked, astonished.

Jun nodded curtly in response.

"Have you built a motorcycle before?" he questioned her curiously.

"Used to." she said, after a brief pause. "Before."

She didn't have to elaborate. Joe knew what that meant. She had done this before Dr. Nambu had adopted her.

"Not anymore?"

"No time." Jun shook her head. "I only just finished drawing these." she indicated the rolled paper in her hands. Suddenly, her face turned black as if she had said too much, and her expression began to turn adversarial.

Joe felt sorry for Jun and moved aside, watching her dart from the room as soon as she could do so without coming into physical contact with him. He empathized with her desire for privacy, and wasn't really interested in intruding anyhow.

But his brief glimpse of Jun's motorcycle schematics stayed on his mind all night. In the morning, Joe found himself seeking out Dr. Nambu in his office.

"Hakase, can I ask you something?"

"Shouldn't you be going to the schoolroom, Joe?" Nambu asked dryly.

"Yes, but I wanted to ask you about Jun." Joe admitted. "She wants to build a motorcycle. Could you give her the parts?"

"How do you know this?" the Doctor asked, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers underneath his chin.

Joe quickly related the details of his brief encounter with Jun the previous night. To Joe's surprise, he saw the Doctor smile as he spoke.

"So, Jun told you about this interest of hers in motorcycles, hmmmm?" Nambu asked knowingly.

"Not exactly." Joe mumbled, feeling trapped. He didn't like the complacency he sensed in the Doctor's voice. He shouldn't have done this. But he'd felt sorry for Jun, and in a moment of weakness he had wanted to help her out. Now Dr. Nambu was going to think he was some kind of spying, interfering meddler.

"I saw her plans." Joe said quickly, in an attempt to take the focus off of him. "It was an accident."

"I see." Nambu's face was serious and he appeared to be considering something.

"Joe, I'd like you to teach Jun how to shoot." the Doctor said after a long moment.

"Huh?"

This was not the response Joe had been expecting. Not to mention that the idea of spending time with Jun was hardly his idea of fun.

"Why can't Ken teach her?" he blurted, his voice clearly communicating his dismay.

"Because you're a much better marksman than Ken is, or will ever be." Nambu told Joe. Despite the predicament this put him in, Joe found himself grinning foolishly. A compliment from Dr. Nambu was rare.

"You're a natural with a firearm, Joe." the Doctor said. "But you're right that Jun should get to know Ken better as well. She needs to get over her… discomfort… with the two of you. I'll have Ken tutor her in martial combat."

Joe was confused. He hadn't said anything about Jun's 'discomfort' at all.

The Doctor sat up and began shuffling the papers on his desk, effectively ending the conversation.

"That is all, Joe." Nambu said, neatly dismissing the boy from his office.

Back in the hallway, Joe's mouth fell open as he tried to make sense of the entire conversation.

What the hell had just happened?

88888

That night, as dinner was ending, Dr. Nambu stood up and walked over to Joe, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I think it's time to begin those lessons, don't you, Joe?" the Doctor said quietly, his eyes shifting over to indicate Jun's quiet form.

Joe nodded resignedly, instantly understanding what Nambu was referring to.

"Yes, Hakase." he sighed, getting out of his own chair. Nambu smiled, and moved to take Jinpei from Jun's charge.

"I'll see that Jinpei gets to bed." the Doctor told her, while Jun looked up, alarmed.

"But, Hakase…"

Jun's protest died on her lips as Nambu left the room with the toddler in his arms.

"It's okay." Joe said, causing Jun's head to whip around to stare at him. "He just wants you to come with me."

"With _you_?" she sounded suspicious and wary, and too late, Joe realized that Dr. Nambu had told Jun nothing about the lessons that Joe was supposed to give to her.

"Hakase told me that I was supposed to…"

"What's going on?" Ken asked, his head shooting up from his dessert plate. "Is this something about Jun?"

"Hakase didn't tell you either?" Joe rolled his eyes. How like Dr. Nambu to make a decision and leave it up to Joe to carry it out. No wonder the Doctor had a full staff just to run the villa.

"Tell me what?" Ken demanded, rising to his feet.

Joe was about to answer when he saw Jun edging toward the door. Recalling her vanishing act the night before, he moved quickly to grab her arm, but missed. Joe darted out into the hallway after her.

"Ask Hakase!" he told Ken, even as his feet were propelling him through the door and out of the room. Amazingly, Jun had already made it to the end of the long corridor and had almost turned the corner.

"Jun, wait up!" Joe called, dashing after the young girl. To his surprise, she began to run, and Joe had to put on a strong burst of speed just to catch up to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Joe asked indignantly as he finally reached Jun. He grabbed her arm, preventing her from running away, and she glared at him.

"I don't have to do anything _you_ tell me to!" she spat, struggling in his grasp. She twisted and bent her arm, using Tae Kwon Do moves to free herself, but fortunately Joe was well-versed in the counters to such measures.

"Actually, you do." he grinned smugly. "Hakase said I was to be your instructor."

Jun's mouth fell open in shock, and the blood drained out of her face as she stared up at him.

"_You_?" she whispered, as she ceased her struggling.

"Yeah." Joe replied, releasing Jun and shrugging his shoulders. He dug his hands into his pockets as he found himself unexpectedly taken aback by her reaction. "Me. Now come on."

He didn't look back to see if she was following him, but when Joe got to the elevator Jun was there, practically trembling behind him. Joe cursed under his breath. He wasn't sure what Jun's problem was, but she'd never learn to shoot a gun shaking like that.

In the tiny elevator, Jun shrank back as far as she could from Joe, and her face only grew more fearful as she followed him down the short length of metal corridor to the shooting range.

But when Joe opened the door, Jun's wariness lessened somewhat, and her eyes darted around curiously.

"What is this place?" she asked quietly.

"It's a shooting range." Joe told her. "Hakase wants me to teach you how to shoot."

"Shoot?"

It was only then that Joe realized that he had never properly explained himself, in his confusion with Jun's attempt to run away.

"Hakase wants me to teach you how to shoot a gun." Joe repeated himself, even as he got out two rifles and ammunition from the locked cabinet on the wall. He brought the items over to the firing area and motioned for Jun to join him. He loaded the rifles in front of her, not saying anything, but watching her out of the corner of his eye. Jun observed his movements quietly, her face wearing an expression of awe and determination. Most people might have been unnerved by the silence in the room, but Joe preferred it.

"Okay, hold the gun like this." Joe directed Jun as he handed her the rifle. "Point it up at the ceiling with your left hand supporting the stock." He demonstrated for her, as Dr. Nambu and a few firearms instructors had done for him in the past.

Jun awkwardly did as Joe asked, then copied his movements as he lowered the rifle and positioned it properly for shooting. Except…

"That's not the right spot." Joe told her. "The butt goes in the pocket of your shoulder, not on your shoulder. See, here…" He demonstrated again.

But Jun wasn't getting it. Whenever she tried to reposition the rifle, her hands slipped and she was unable to hold it in the way Joe was demonstrating.

"Here." Joe sighed, putting down his own rifle and walking over to Jun. "Let me show you." He moved behind the young girl, putting his arms around her sides and grasping the rifle.

Jun gasped, her body instantly stiffening the moment he approached her. Joe sensed the altering of her posture immediately, but was confused as to the reason for this change. He chalked it up to the vagaries of females; after all, he knew nothing about girls. But Dr. Nambu had told him to teach Jun how to shoot, so Joe continued with the lesson.

"Raise your rifle like this." he demonstrated, putting his hands over hers and positioning them on the stock. Her fingers were stiff, and almost claw-like, which made things difficult.

"Now, bring your arms down, and tuck your left arm into your hip, to support the rifle." Joe instructed, performing the maneuver and guiding Jun's arms as he spoke. Again, Jun refused to move with him, which made the entire process awkward and disjointed.

"What's wrong with you?" Joe growled in frustration. "Just do what I say, alright?"

But rather than helping, these words caused Jun to pull out of his grip, backing away from him.

"Just stay away from me." she hissed, and Joe was suddenly reminded of her reaction the previous night when he had come upon her in the recreation room. "Don't touch me!"

It wasn't until she said this that Joe realized that save for the brief moment he had grabbed Jun in the hallway less than an hour ago, he had never touched her before. Of course, he had sparred with her in martial arts training, but such encounters were infrequent and only consisted of brief movements to attack or defend. Not that he had really cared, but Jun's reaction now… With sudden insight, the reason dawned on Joe.

Jun was afraid of him!

Why she was afraid of him was something he didn't question too much. He was older and a better fighter, and maybe she thought he could get her in trouble with Dr. Nambu. Whatever the reason, she had to get over it.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Joe rolled his eyes at her ridiculous behavior. "Hakase told me to teach you, and I'm just doing what he wants me to do. Trust me, this isn't my first choice of something to do either."

Jun seemed to relax a little, although her eyes remained wary. Slowly, she moved closer to Joe, and carefully he reached out, turning her around to face the targets, and resumed his lesson.

"Let's start again." he sighed. This time, Jun's movements were less jerky, and she wasn't resisting him as much as she had before. Yet Joe could still sense a tightness in her muscles.

"Now as you're moving your left arm down toward your hip, slide the butt of the gun down from your shoulder into your shoulder pocket." he told her, helping her achieve the correct positioning. "Right there, just above your right armpit."

Jun compiled, and Joe finally felt that she was ready to move on to the next step.

"Now you have to get a good cheek weld." he said.

"What?" Jun's head snapped around to look at him.

"It's what you call the way your cheek connects with the end of the rifle." Joe explained. "If you don't get a good cheek weld, then you can't aim properly."

"Oh." Jun's cheeks pinked slightly.

"Now in order to do this right, you have to time your breathing." Joe instructed. "Since the rifle is right up against your body, your breathing will move it. You have to time your shot with your breath. Breathe slowly and deeply. You can't lower your cheek to the butt stock of the gun until you're completely calm."

Jun nodded slightly, then closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. At first she was gulping air, but after a few moments she began to draw her breaths more slowly, and with his body next to hers, Joe could feel her muscles relaxing. Finally, he felt she was ready.

"Okay." he whispered in her ear. "Now slowly lower your cheek down to the right, to rest on the gun, so you can look through the sights."

His soft tone of voice seemed to do the trick. Jun remained calm, slowly lowering her head and bringing her cheek into position. She opened one eye, peering through the sights.

"Okay, now aim as you are letting out your breath, and then gently squeeze the trigger." Joe told her.

Jun's right finger squeezed the trigger, and Joe felt her body push back into his slightly with the recoil of the gun. Jun looked up, then turned around, smiling.

"I did it!" she grinned, clearly proud of herself.

"Let's see if you made the shot." Joe told her, pressing the button to pull the paper target closer. As it approached, they could clearly see that the bullet had gone through the target's neck.

"Not bad." Joe complimented her. "That would probably kill someone. Although it might take a few moments for them to die with a wound like that. Next time, try for the head. Death is usually instantaneous with a good head shot."

"I was trying for the head." Jun admitted. "I thought I got pretty close, though."

"You did, for a first try." Joe said. "Ken only got the shoulder the first time he did this."

"Really?" Jun beamed.

"Try again, this time, without me." Joe suggested. "I'll just watch."

Jun nodded, reset the rifle, and then began the entire procedure again. Joe returned the target to its former position.

Jun shot until the ammunition in the rifle was gone, and each time, Joe could see her improving her stance. Shooting a rifle while standing was difficult, but Dr. Nambu had suggested that they all learn this way, because often one didn't have the luxury of perfect positioning when it came time to shoot. For that matter, one often didn't have time to adjust their breathing correctly either, but that was a lesson for another time.

By the end of the evening, Jun had been able to hit the head of the target twice, and the neck and shoulders area a number of times. There were also quite a few holes around the outside of the target's head.

It was a good start.

After that, Joe taught Ken and Jun together, and practiced his own shooting as well. Once Dr. Nambu had given Jun her motorcycle parts, Joe spent even more time with Jun. He worked with her in the garage as she built her vehicle. The exercise prompted Joe to ask for (and receive) car engine parts from their foster father.

At Dr. Nambu's request, Ken spent some afternoons giving Jun extra sparring practice, and the end result was not only that Jun became a better fighter, and a decent shot with a gun, but she also became more comfortable being around _both_ Ken and Joe. After a couple of months, she actually began smiling at them, and would hold occasional conversations with the boys. She still spent most of her time with Jinpei, but Joe noticed that she was no longer hiding in the shadows.

She had become part of their lives.


	8. Four Years Ago

_**Four Years Ago**_

Joe, Ken, and Jun were training in the gym one late summer afternoon when a message was received, telling the three children that their foster father would like to see them. Interruptions of this kind were highly unusual, as Dr. Nambu strongly believed in the sanctity of work time. In fact, it was for this very reason that he had had the gymnasium constructed on the villa's grounds: so that the three of them could work without disturbances from outsiders.

"What do you think Hakase wants?" Ken asked.

"Well, he just got back from his trip to Brazil." Jun reminded him. "Maybe he wants to say hello?"

"Yeah, but he's interrupting our practice time." Joe pointed out.

"You don't think he's figured out that we were the ones who put a scratch in his car, do you?" Ken's voice was tinged with a slight nervousness.

Ken and Joe had taken to joyriding around Dr. Nambu's estate late at night, on evenings when the Doctor was not staying at the villa. Joe especially enjoyed these excursions: the feel of the steering wheel in his hands, the sensation of the gas pedal throbbing underneath his foot. Unfortunately, Ken's tendency to want to obey all rules, even the unspoken ones (after all, Nambu had not _specifically_ forbidden them from driving his car) often put a damper on these outings.

"No." Joe shook his head. "How could he? That scratch is so tiny you can barely see it. And besides, if that was it, why would he want to see Jun too?"

"True." Ken admitted, looking thoughtfully at Jun.

"You guys put a scratch in Hakase's car?" Jun asked, her eyes wide. "When?"

"It was his old car." Joe grinned. "The one he doesn't use anymore. Last night we were driving it through the woods."

"But last night, Hakase was in Brazil, at that conference…" Jun's voice drifted off and an expression of comprehension crossed her face. It quickly changed to one of hopefulness.

"Next time, can I come?" she asked shyly.

"No." Ken scowled. "You don't want to get into trouble, Jun."

"But _you_ did it." Jun pointed out.

"I think he's trying to forget." Joe laughed. "Funny how Ken is fine doing stuff like this, until he gets caught." Ken scowled at these words, but was unable to offer any kind of defense against Joe's comment.

"What's it like… driving?" Jun asked wistfully.

"We'll never get to find out again if we don't get to Hakase's office." Ken reminded them, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Whatever." Joe rolled his eyes, following Ken and Jun out of the room.

Five minutes later, the three of them were seated on chairs around Dr. Nambu's office, nervously waiting for their foster father to arrive. Joe hated this kind of thing. He got up, ignoring the scowl Ken sent his way, and began pacing the room. It was a little better, but not much.

After a moment, Joe stopped walking, leaning back against the office wall, near the door. He pulled a stick of gum out of his pocket and placed it in his mouth, then folded his arms as he began chewing.

This was better. At least now, he could relax, somewhat.

Less than a minute later, Dr. Nambu entered the room. He raised an eyebrow at Joe's choice of waiting position, but chose not to comment. Instead, he folded his hands underneath his chin as he sat down at his desk. He spent a long moment looking contemplatively at each of the three children in front of him as they fidgeted nervously under such scrutiny. After a long moment, he finally spoke.

"As you all know, I just returned an hour ago from a conference in Brazil." the Doctor said. "It was at this conference that I received some most disturbing news."

Joe looked at Ken and Jun out of the corner of his eye. They appeared to be just as confused by these words as he was. What kind of news could Nambu possibly receive at a foreign conference that would impact them?

"The conference was set up to discuss various alternatives for dealing with terrorist activities around the world." Nambu went on. "It was while speaking with one of my colleagues that I realized that my suspicions were correct, and that my worst predictions had come to pass."

Joe raised an eyebrow, not truly understanding what was going on. He could see that he was not the only one with this problem, as Ken and Jun appeared to be reacting in a similar manner. After all, what did two fourteen year old boys and a twelve year old girl, who all lived on an isolated estate, know about world terrorists?

Dr. Nambu sighed, for once actively recognizing that his audience had no idea of what he was talking about. He cleared his throat and began again.

"For some time, I have had a theory that the various terrorist activities that have been occurring around the world for the past twenty years or more are connected, somehow." the Doctor revealed. "At the Brazil Conference, I met another scientist who harbors the same suspicions. We pooled our information and the resulting outlook is even more grim than I had imagined. Our enemies are united, and far stronger than anyone suspects."

Joe started in surprise, and he saw Ken and Jun sitting up in their seats as well. But it was Ken who voiced what they were all thinking.

"Enemies?" he asked, confused. "Since when do scientists have enemies?"

"It is not scientists who have enemies, Ken." Nambu smiled thinly. "It is the International Science Organization. I have been working for nearly a decade on the Mantle Plan, and now Galactor wants to get their hands on the technology. As I have long feared, it is Galactor who is behind all of these terrible bombings and murders."

"Galactor?" Joe stood straight up, removing his body from the wall, his fists clenching at his sides. "Galactor wants to steal your project, Hakase?" His desire to avenge his parents, which had lain dormant for a couple of years, suddenly came rushing to the fore again.

"I thought Galactor was an army." Ken said. "Galactor sabotaged my father's plane, because he was killing too many of their forces."

Jun turned to look at Ken, and Joe could see the sympathy welling up in her eyes. Joe turned away, fighting back his emotions as he thought of his own parents, using a grimace on his face to cover up his true feelings.

"Galactor is a terrorist organization, first and foremost." Dr. Nambu told them. "They want to control the world. They use military might to back up their actions. But they are also foresighted. They understand that to truly accomplish their goals, they need a powerful energy source… one that the UN does not possess."

"So…" Jun's brow furrowed as she thought out loud, "this Galactor group wants to take your Mantle Plan and build it for themselves? And not let you build it, even though you created it?"

"That's pretty much the case." Nambu replied, smiling in a relieved fashion. "You saw right through to the heart of the matter, Jun. Now I know that I've made the right decision."

"What decision is that, Hakase?" Ken asked.

"The three of you all came into my life under different circumstances." the Doctor said. "Ken, your mother placed you under my guardianship when she became too ill to take care of you herself. Joe, you came into my charge when I visited BC Island all of those years ago. And Jun…"

Joe noticed that Jun had turned very pale, and he thought he saw her sending a pleading look in the Doctor's direction. Nambu appeared to be oblivious to her pained expression, however, as he did not pause in his speech.

"Jun, I adopted you from the Mt. Jupiter orphanage." the Doctor finished, as Jun sagged in her chair with… relief?

But Joe was unable to ponder Jun's reaction as Nambu quickly carried on.

"Different backgrounds, all of you." he said. "Yet you have all gone through the same training since you have arrived here. Clearly I have been planning for this for some time. I just never imagined that it would be so soon…"

The Doctor looked at each of them in turn, as if assessing their worth. For some reason, Joe suddenly felt as if his entire future rested upon not coming up wanting. He straightened his posture, looking Dr. Nambu directly in the eyes as the man's gaze fell upon him.

"Yet despite your youth, I feel that you are all ready." Nambu declared. "You are ready to begin taking on the forces of Galactor."

"What?" Ken practically jumped out of his chair in surprise. Jun gripped the edge of her seat, an expression of shock written all over her face. But Joe… somehow, he _wasn't_ surprised. The moment Dr. Nambu had brought Galactor into this discussion, he had hoped that it would come to this.

He was one step closer to obtaining his revenge.

"Are you signing us up in the UN Military Forces?" Ken asked, now sounding excited. "Like my father?"

"No." Nambu replied. "I have no jurisdiction with the UN, and I must reserve you all for my own needs. Call me selfish, but right now it is the _ISO_ that needs you, not the UN."

"So, you want us to come work for the ISO?" Jun asked slowly.

"I want to make you all into a team." the Doctor explained. "One whose mission it is to fight Galactor, and protect the ISO from attack. The day is coming; but I am not privy to the specific timing. Perhaps in a few months or a few years. A decade at most. But the day will come when Galactor will wage open warfare against our technology. And when they do, I want you all to be there, protecting the ISO and the innocent people of the world."

"I'm in."

Jun and Ken whipped their heads around to stare at Joe. Yet at the same time that he felt their astonished eyes on him, Joe also sensed a wave of approval coming from Dr. Nambu.

"You've done everything for me, Hakase." Joe explained, looking directly at his foster father. "And now, you are giving me the only thing I truly want: a chance to fight those Galactor bastards. Of course I'm in."

Surprisingly, Dr. Nambu did not lecture Joe regarding his choice of language, but simply nodded and smiled.

"I'm in too!" Ken declared proudly. "My father died fighting Galactor, and the best way for me to honor his memory is to follow in his footsteps."

Dr. Nambu nodded acceptingly, while Jun shuffled her feel nervously from her chair, her eyes on her hands in her lap.

"Hakase," she whispered, "you took me in when I thought I had nothing left. You promised me that you would teach me to protect myself, and you have more than kept your word. I owe you my life, and this is not too much to ask in return." Jun looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Thank you for giving me this chance, Hakase." she said.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear." Nambu stated. "I am not simply _giving_ this opportunity to all of you, because you are my children. Every single one of you shows great potential, and your skills complement and balance each other well." He looked at each of them in turn.

"Ken is cool and analytical; an excellent strategist." he stated. "Joe's combat and fighting skills, not to mention his marksmanship, are beyond compare. And Jun, your intelligence and insight compliment Ken and Joe's physical strengths well."

"Together, you make an excellent team." the Doctor went on. "The Science Ninja Team."

"The _what_?" Ken was astonished. Joe would have laughed at the look on Ken's face, if he himself hadn't been so taken aback. Jun appeared similarly surprised.

"You will report directly to me, and the International Science Organization." Nambu replied. "A 'science' team, rather than a 'military' team. You will be ninjas as well: capable of moving in shadows, and having no equal."

Joe shrugged. He supposed he could live with that.

"So, just the three of us?" he asked.

"No." Nambu shook his head slightly. "I'd like you to have a little more support. I was thinking a team of four…"

"Could Jinpei join?" Jun blurted.

"Jinpei?" Joe snorted. "He's just a kid!"

"And we're _not_ kids?" Jun retorted, before returning her attention to Dr. Nambu. "Hakase, he can do it! I've been showing him our martial arts and training him for two years now. He's pretty good. He's fast, and agile too."

"Jun, I'm sure you've taught him well," the Doctor said gently, "but…"

"Just watch him." Jun pleaded. "If you see him and don't think he's good enough, then I'll accept your judgment. But just give him a chance. Please, Hakase!"

Joe couldn't believe it. At the age of six, Jinpei was already an annoying whirlwind, running everywhere and always driving everyone insane with his antics. Surely Dr. Nambu was just humoring Jun.

He was certain of it when the Doctor responded.

"I'll assess Jinpei's skills." Nambu said. "But I have already selected a fourth member for the Science Ninja Team."

"Who?" Joe's eyebrows rose sharply. He didn't like the idea of involving someone new. Someone unknown.

"A young boy, about your age, who has shown enormous potential at an ISO sponsored program." the Doctor replied. "I think Ryu will make an excellent pilot."

"That's not fair!" Ken shouted petulantly, leaping to his feet. "_I_ should be the pilot! You _know_ that I'm the best suited for that, Hakase! My father was…"

"That's enough, Ken!" Nambu barked, and Ken's mouth instantly snapped shut. His face turned bright red, and he immediately sat back down. It was evident that the Doctor's reprimand had cut Ken to the quick.

"There is room for more than one pilot." the Doctor pointed out. "In fact, I think it's best that there are some overlapping skills, in addition to the complimentary skill sets I mentioned earlier. Regardless, you all need to remember that, at least for now, _I_ am in charge. Matters such as these are _not_ up for general discussion."

"Yes, Hakase." Ken mumbled, looking at the floor. Joe and Jun echoed his response. Jun appeared contrite, but Joe found himself somewhat more resentful than he had expected. Dr. Nambu wanted them to be a _team_, and yet he was running things like a dictatorship. If the Doctor truly thought they were worthy of forming this team, then they were worthy to voice their opinions as well.

That was, except for the idea of putting Jinpei on the team.

"Ryu has excellent potential to support the team." Nambu said meaningfully. "Clearly he has not been training as you all have. But that will be rectified. Ryu is scheduled to arrive the day after tomorrow."

Joe grimaced, but it was obvious that he had no say in the matter, and so he said nothing.

Dr. Nambu looked at each of the, in turn, as if assuring himself that the three children in front of him were going to listen to his words.

"You are all dismissed." he said curtly.

Slowly, Joe, Jun and Ken filed out of the office, silently making their way to their Recreation Room. As one, they all fell into the overstuffed sofas that inhabited the space, staring at each other in disbelief.

It was Ken who broke the quiet first.

"We're going to fight Galactor…" he said in an awed hush. "It's what my father would have wanted…"

"It's what _I've_ always wanted." Joe scowled. "I've been waiting for a chance to pay back those Galactor scum for years."

"And we'd be helping Hakase, who has done so much for us." Jun added.

"But why do we need anyone else?" Ken asked angrily. "Another pilot?"

"You're not a pilot yet, Ken." Joe reminded him.

"So?" Ken argued. "You're not a professional race car driver yet, but you're _going_ to do it, all the same."

Joe shrugged, conceding the point.

"I don't see why we have to bring in an outsider." Jun whined. "Jinpei could…"

"Look, Jun, cut the Jinpei crap, will you?" Joe muttered. "He's only six years old!"

"So?" Jun jumped to her feet, stalking up to Joe and bending over his seated form in order to wave her fist in his face. "You were six when you started training, right? And I've been teaching Jinpei for two years already!"

"Whatever." Joe snorted condescendingly, leaning back against the couch casually, as if that movement alone could dismiss Jun's argument. "Not that it matters anyway. Hakase's calling all the shots here."

"He sure is." Ken grumbled. "He tells us that we're going to be a team, but then he overrules everything we have to say!"

"He wants us to fight like grownups, but he's not treating us like grownup!" Jun stamped her foot petulantly.

"Then we'll just have to make our own decisions." Joe suggested, looking at Ken and Jun. "We three _have_ to agree. If that conflicts with Hakase, we'll stand united."

"I like that idea." Jun nodded vigorously.

"What about this Ryu guy?" Ken asked.

"I think we should let him come." Joe said slowly. "When he falls flat on his face, _then_ we can refuse to let him on the team."

"Good." Ken grinned.

"Okay." Jun said, but her voice was uncertain.

Joe looked at both of them grimly.

"Deal."

88888

Later that afternoon, Dr. Nambu arrived at the schoolroom just as Joe, Ken, and Jun were finishing up for the day. Jinpei was standing next to him.

"Jun, I'd like you to show me what you've taught to Jinpei." the Doctor said.

"Yes, Hakase!" Jun grinned, her eyes bright.

"Ken, Joe, I would like it if you came as well." Nambu added.

"Sure, Hakase." Ken replied, while Joe merely shrugged. He was cursing himself for not working out the issue of Jinpei that morning when he, Ken, and Jun had all been speaking in the Recreation Room. But maybe it was better this way. They could watch Jinpei together, and it would be clear to everyone, even Jun, that the kid wasn't ready for combat against Galactor.

They all filed into the training room and Dr. Nambu, Ken, and Joe stood against the wall. Jun took Jinpei to the center of the mats, then formally bowed to him. The small boy responded in kind, although the wide grin on his face ruined any semblance of seriousness in the gesture.

Jun kicked out, aiming at Jinpei's head without warning. The small boy dodged the kick, ducking and rolling, then coming back up for a strike of his own. Jun blocked Jinpei's attack, then launched another one.

The two sparred for a quarter for an hour, each attacking and defending, although Jinpei only used the simplest of maneuvers. The boy's fighting style was a mixture of various disciplines, and Jun was fighting in a similar fashion: taking pieces of all of the different techniques they had learned and making it her own.

Joe was surprised to discover that he was impressed. He had never seen Jun move so fluidly in the formal classes they had with their various instructors.

And the kid wasn't bad either. There was no way he was up to Jun's standard, of course, much less Joe's or Ken's, but he was pretty damn good… for a six year old.

Dr. Nambu walked out onto the mats, holding up his hands.

"That's enough, Jun, Jinpei. "

"So what do you think?" Jinpei asked, puffing his tiny chest out with pride as he strutted across the mat. "I told you I was pretty good!"

"You fight very well, Jinpei." Dr. Nambu replied. "I want you to keep practicing. But not right now. Instructor Tate is waiting for you in the schoolroom."

"Okay." Jinpei sighed, actually taking the hint. "I'm going." He slouched slowly out of the room.

"If you think he needs to learn any new skills, I can teach him, Hakase." Jun offered quickly.

"Clearly, for a six year old, Jinpei is quite accomplished." Nambu said. "But he is hardly at the standard that you, Joe, or Ken have achieved." Jun's face fell, and she bent her head.

"Yes, Hakase." she said quietly.

"Still, I think in another couple of years, Jinpei will be an excellent fighter." the Doctor continued. "I'd like him to start attending your formal training sessions and working with the Sensei."

"Do you mean, he's on the Team?" Jun asked excitedly.

"No." Nambu shook his head. "Jinpei is too young to be on the Science Ninja Team."

"However," he continued, holding up his hand to silence the protest that was clearly about to come from Jun's mouth, "we don't know for certain when the Science Ninja Team will have to be activated for duty. Such a thing might be years away, and it is my hope that you will all have at least a decade to train and prepare yourselves, although practicality forces me to prepare for the possibility that our timeframe is much shorter than that."

"So, you're saying he might be old enough, by the time we're actually fighting?" Jun asked, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Yes." the Doctor nodded. "Regardless, Jinpei is clearly very accomplished for his age, and I can see that he is very agile. He will train with the three of you in martial arts, as he has potential to become backup support for the Team. I certainly want to see that he has the opportunity to develop his abilities to the fullest extent, as the three of you have."

"Thank you, Hakase!" Jun cried, grabbing Nambu's waist in a giant hug and pressing her head against the Doctor's chest. Nambu was clearly taken aback by this reaction, but just as obviously not entirely displeased by the emotions the girl was expressing.

"That's quite enough, Jun." the Doctor said, gently extricating himself from Jun's grip. "I hope that when he comes, you will give Ryu the same open-minded assessment that I gave to Jinpei this afternoon."

"Yes, of course, Hakase!" Jun nodded, grinning from ear to ear as the Doctor left the room. But the moment their foster father was gone, Joe and Ken rounded on her.

"What the hell is this?" Joe demanded. "We all agreed to shoot this Ryu guy down!"

"You're not going back on our _deal_, are you, Jun?" Ken asked, his eyes flashing dangerously. To Ken, an agreement was a promise, and something not to be broken by anything short of death.

"No…" Jun said, her eyes darting frantically back and forth between the two angry boys. "I was just grateful to Hakase…"

"Not grateful enough to screw us over, right?" Joe growled.

"No, of course not." Jun gulped, and it was clear that she was unnerved by the vehemence of Joe's reaction.

"Good." Ken nodded, settling the entire matter.


	9. Four Years Ago 2

_**Four Years Ago**_

Two days later, the three members of the fledgling 'Science Ninja Team' were called to Dr. Nambu's office just as they were about to head for lunch.

"Do you think it's the Ryu kid?" Ken asked.

"Probably." Joe muttered. "Let's get this over with."

"With Jinpei as backup, we don't need another member." Jun said.

"Especially another pilot." Ken muttered under his breath.

As they approached the office, they were surprised to see Dr. Nambu in the corridor, instead of inside the room. A boy was standing next to him. The youth turned and grinned at them, his wild hair pointing in all directions.

"Ken, Joe, Jun, this is Ryu." Dr. Nambu introduced them. Their eyes goggled.

Ryu was fat!

Joe wasn't someone who put much stock in what a person looked like, but when he saw Ryu, his first thought was that this guy would be easy to beat in a fight. How could he be fast enough or agile enough to learn all of the martial arts that Dr. Nambu insisted they master?

"Hi!" Ryu smiled broadly, waving at the three other children in a friendly manner.

"Hi…" Jun said quietly, while Joe and Ken simply stared.

"Ryu, I'd like you to demonstrate your skills in the simulator." the Doctor told the new boy.

"Sure, Dr. Nambu!" Ryu grinned again. Joe had to give the guy credit for one thing, at least. Ryu seemed to be in a perpetual good mood.

Exactly the opposite of Joe.

"Everyone, follow me." Nambu instructed, and soon the four children were following in the Doctor's wake, down a series of corridors to the villa's elevator.

"Wow, quite the place Dr. Nambu has got here." Ryu noted, poking Joe in the ribs and looking around wide-eyed. "I never saw anything like this in Tohoku!"

"Tohoku?" Joe snorted. "Where the hell is that?"

"It's a region of fishing villages up north." Ryu replied, nonplussed by Joe's attitude. "That's where I come from."

"You're a fisherman?" Ken snickered. "Is that good training to become a pilot?"

"Naw," Ryu grinned, not the least bothered by Ken's mocking tone, "I didn't start that until last year, when Dr. Nambu enrolled me in that ISO Flight School."

"What?" Ken's jaw dropped and his face turned a bright red. "The Kernerman School?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded, seemingly oblivious to Ken's anger. "It was some kind of preliminary assessment camp. Dr. Nambu said it was for kids who showed 'potential'. It sure was fun!"

Joe's hand snapped out, gripping Ken's wrist tightly. He sensed that his friend was about to lose it. A glance at the tight expression on Ken's face only confirmed Joe's suspicions.

Ryu was saved from attack by the group's arrival at the elevator. Dr. Nambu entered his code and pressed the call button. Of course, the chamber was too small for all of them, but this problem was quickly solved.

"Ken, you come down with me." the Doctor instructed. "Then Joe, Jun and Ryu can follow."

Joe had no idea why Dr. Nambu had chosen Ken to accompany him, but all the same, at this moment he was glad not to be alone with their foster father.

"So, how did you meet Dr. Nambu, Ryu?" Jun asked cautiously, once the elevator doors had closed.

"He came to my village last year." Ryu said. "He was doing some kind of big experiment. I'm not sure what it was all about, but he needed someone to take him out into the ocean waters. The men in the village were busy fishing, because it was salmon season, but my father said that I could take Dr. Nambu out. I earned a lot of money for our family!" It was clear by the grin on his face that Ryu was proud of his ability to help support his loved ones.

But Ryu's pride in his home life was exactly the kind of thing that angered Joe, who didn't have a family of that kind.

"Big deal." he grumbled, doing his best to reign in his own temper. Between his comments about flight school and his family, Ryu seemed to be rubbing everybody the wrong way.

Well, perhaps not everybody.

"You have a family?" Jun asked wistfully. "My family is gone."

"My mother died giving birth to my brother, Seiji." Ryu told her. "Seiji's two now. I'm going to miss him a lot, living here in Utoland."

"So why don't you go back?" Joe muttered under his breath, but Ryu did not hear his words.

"I have a little brother too!" Jun exclaimed. "Well, not my real brother, but my brother from the orphanage. Jinpei is six."

"He sounds like fun." Ryu grinned happily. "Anyhow, one day when Dr. Nambu was getting his samples, a big storm came up from out of nowhere, and this giant sea creature rose up from under the water. I had never seen anything like it before; it was kind of like a squid, but massive! I had a hard time controlling the boat, and one of its tentacles grabbed us. I hacked away at it with an oar, and eventually it let go. Then I piloted us to safety."

"Wow!" Jun breathed, clearly impressed. Joe rolled his eyes. Was he going to have to remind Jun _again_ of her promise? And giant sea creatures? How gullible did Ryu think they were? That kind of story might frighten country fishermen, but not Joe.

"That's when Dr. Nambu enrolled me in the flight school." Ryu confessed. "He said that I was brave and worthy of a chance."

"He told me that too." Jun said, her eyes dropping to the floor. "I just hope that I haven't disappointed him."

"I'm sure you haven't." Ryu said warmly.

"Just make sure you don't disappoint anyone else." Joe said threateningly. Jun looked up quickly, her face blanching. She had clearly understood his message.

The elevator arrived, and Jun was suddenly quiet. Much to Joe's annoyance, that didn't stop Ryu from chattering on. The ride down to the underground level, short as it was, was far too long for Joe's taste, as Ryu continued jabbering about his home, fishing, and Dr. Nambu. Jun stared at the floor and Joe kept his eyes focused on the wall. The cramped quarters did not help his mood any.

For his part, Ryu did not appear to notice the strained atmosphere.

When they reached the end of their short journey, the door opened to reveal a stern Dr. Nambu and a somewhat chastened Ken.

"This way." Nambu directed them, moving everyone down the corridor and past the shooting range to a room across the hall. The Doctor opened the door, leading them all into a small, dark chamber.

Inside the room, a large series of video screens lined the walls, surrounding a seat and a bank of control panels. In front of the seat was a large stick, and what looked like a strange, flattened steering wheel. Joe was a little confused as to the purpose of this equipment, but Ken's exclamation upon viewing the setup explained everything.

"It's a flight simulator!" he shouted in an excited voice. "Hakase, I didn't know you had a flight simulator!"

"Yes." Nambu smiled thinly. "I had it installed recently. Ryu, I'd like you to try it out."

"Yes, Dr. Nambu!" Ryu grinned, clearly eager to please. He sat down in the seat, as the Doctor motioned everyone else to stand behind him, along the back wall and out of Ryu's sight.

Ken's focus was fixed on the control panels and video screens; his eyes taking in everything that Ryu did. Jun observed the entire scene curiously, and studiously avoided Joe's gaze. For his part, Joe simply leaned back against the wall, wishing that this tiresome formality was already over.

Dr. Nambu turned on the simulator, punching a series of instructions into the system. The already dim lighting dwindled to nothing and the only illumination was from the video screens, which showed a clear, blue sky.

Dr. Nambu gave Ryu a series of directions, and the rest of them watched as the new boy executed the instructions perfectly. Ken's jaw fell open in awe as he witnessed the display in front of him. Joe could practically see the drool dripping from Ken's mouth. Joe rolled his eyes. You'd never catch him getting all goopy like that over a plane.

Now, if Dr. Nambu had a car-driving simulator… Joe shook his head. No. He had already driven the real thing, albeit only the Doctor's old car on the villa's property. A simulator could never match up to a real experience.

Finally, Dr. Nambu turned the lights back on and urged Ryu to get out of the seat.

"That was excellent, Ryu." Dr. Nambu told the boy. "I can see that you paid attention at the ISO Flight Camp I had you attend. It is my hope that you will assist Ken in getting up to speed on this system. He needs to be prepared to attend the Kernerman Flight School with you in the Fall."

"Flight School?" Ken's eyes glazed over as he spoke, and the longing in his voice was clearly evident.

"Yes." the Doctor smirked. "You and Ryu are already enrolled. Classes begin in two months. You boys will have a lot of work to do."

"I'll get it done, Hakase!" Ken promised eagerly. But Joe felt like he was about to throw up. First Jun was feeling sorry for this loser, and now Ken's vote was being bought with the promise of attending this flight school. Joe knew that he had already lost.

Ryu was going to be a part of the Science Ninja Team.

Dr. Nambu shut down the simulator, leading them all back into the hallway and over to the elevator. This time, Joe traveled with Ken and Ryu, both of whom were talking about planes and piloting. Ken was, of course, going on about his father again, and Ryu was lapping it up for all he was worth.

Joe really _was_ going to be sick.

Dr. Nambu took them all to the dining room, and Joe noted that a place had already been set for Ryu. Jinpei came in, and Ryu immediately began talking and joking with the kid, who responded eagerly to the attention. This delighted Jun, who began talking to Ryu as well, when she could get a word in edgewise between the jabbering Jinpei and all of the airplane conversation Ken was engaging in.

Dr. Nambu smiled smugly, looking over at the four happy, chattering children.

Joe sat sullenly in his seat, staring at his food. He was alone in a sea of activity and laughter.

How had this happened?

88888

After dinner, Joe ran off to his room as quickly as he could, doing a bit of homework and reading his car magazines. He lost track of the time, and suddenly realized that it was eleven pm.

The perfect time for a drive.

Quickly, Joe got dressed, and he was just about to make his way to Ken's room when he thought better of it. After the way Ken had hit it off with Ryu today, not to mention Ken's frequent distaste for rule-bending activities, it probably wasn't such a great idea.

Suddenly, Joe recalled the other morning's conversation with Ken and Jun, just before they had gone to see Dr. Nambu and had their lives turned upside-down. Jun had asked to come along the next time he drove.

It was time for her to put her money where her mouth was.

Joe moved stealthily down the hall toward Jun's room, knocking quietly on her door. To his surprise, she answered quickly, although she was dressed in her nightgown.

"Want to go for a drive?" Joe asked her, enjoying the expression of surprise on her face. Yet she understood his intentions immediately.

"But… Hakase's here tonight!" Jun gasped.

"So?" Joe rolled his eyes. "Are you coming or not?"

Jun hesitated only a moment before nodding.

"Hold on."

She shut the door in his face, then re-opened it thirty seconds later, now dressed in a pair of jeans and an old hooded sweatshirt. She closed the door behind her, quietly following Joe down the hallway and outside into the gardens. They moved silently around the main house and over to the garage.

Dr. Nambu's garage was as large as some high school gymnasiums. It housed two cars that the Doctor used regularly. One vehicle was used when Nambu himself was driving, and the other was operated by a chauffer. This vehicle was used when the Doctor was being driven into Utoland for meetings at ISO Headquarters, or for travel. Due to his heavy workload, Nambu used the second car more often, and had adapted the backseat into something of a remote office.

A variety of outdoor equipment and supplies occupied another part of the large building, and Joe and Jun's work areas for developing the physical versions of their engine designs was located in another corner. But against the back wall, underneath a smudged tarp, was an old car, perhaps two decades off of the assembly line, that Joe now uncovered to Jun's view.

"Wow…" Jun said, running her hand across the old sedan. "You and Ken drive this?" She looked around suddenly.

"Where is Ken, anyhow?"

"I didn't invite him." Joe snapped. "Are you coming?"

"Yes." Jun nodded vigorously, not in the least hesitant despite Ken's absence. "But I want to drive too. You can teach me, Joe, just like you taught me how to shoot."

"Okay." Joe agreed, after a moment of thought. It wasn't his first choice of how to handle things, but he had probably been hoping for too much to just suppose that Jun would be content to sit quietly as he drove. She hadn't been that meek and mild in a long time.

Come to think of it, back when Jun had been that way, she would never have agreed to break the rules with him. Joe supposed that _this_ Jun was better, after all.

Joe opened the door, sliding into the driver's seat. Damn, it felt good. Of course, this was hardly his ideal vehicle, but it was more than good enough for learning.

"What about gas?" Jun asked as she got in.

"Ken and I siphoned off a few gallons from the other cars a few days ago." Joe replied, turning the ignition and pressing a button on a remote control to open the garage door. "There should be plenty of fuel left."

Slowly, he eased the car out on idle speed, grateful as always that the garage was well away from the villa's bedrooms, specifically so that the occupants' rest would not be disturbed by Dr. Nambu's often-odd working hours.

The car rolled out into the driveway, and Joe moved out onto the half kilometer road that led off of the villa's grounds and to the main highway. But he had only gone about two hundred meters when he suddenly turned off the paved route and onto a dirt path the gardeners used for their pickup trucks. The way was littered with rocks and bumps, causing Joe and Jun to bounce up and down on the well-worn seat springs.

Joe loved it.

He looked over at Jun, and saw the excitement on his face mirrored on her own. He grinned, accelerating slightly, causing the vehicle to jolt in a manner that nearly had both of them cracking their heads on the car's low ceiling. Jun laughed, and Joe showed off some more, appreciating his audience's reaction.

He drove around the property, eventually coming to a stop in a large, flat meadow. It was the spot where he and Ken practiced new driving maneuvers. Joe opened his door, leaving the key in the ignition, and indicated that Jun should take over the wheel.

She grinned so widely that Joe thought her face would break, and she eagerly got out of the passenger seat to switch places with him. Jun practically ran over to the driver's door, and then quickly settled herself back inside the vehicle.

From his time constructing engines with Jun, Joe knew that she understood what all of the controls were for, and where they were located. So he only gave her the most basic of instructions.

"Put it into drive, take off the hand brake, and try her out." he said simply.

Jun began operating the car at idle speed, and soon she had progressed to short bursts of stepping on the accelerator. After about thirty minutes, Joe told her to stop. Jun appeared to be disappointed, but acquiesced, her eyes shining. She turned off the ignition, then got out of the car and slid down to sit on the ground, leaning against the front tire.

"Thanks, Joe." she smiled. "I think that's the most fun I've ever had."

Joe sat down beside her, looking up at the full moon in the cloudless night sky.

"At least _something_ good came out of this lousy day." he observed. Jun turned to look at him, staring hard for a long moment.

"Why don't you like Ryu?"

"Why should I? _He's_ the one busting into _my_ life!"

"He's not so bad." Jun shrugged. "He likes Jinpei. And he tells funny stories too."

"I'm not a funny stories kind of guy."

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

They sat in silence a moment longer, both looking up at the moon.

"You know, Ryu's here to stay." Jun said quietly. "Hakase's made up his mind. You should give him a chance."

"Shut up, Jun! I didn't invite you to come so that you could lecture me. If I had wanted that, I would have invited Ken!"

Jun giggled.

Joe looked sharply at her. He hadn't expected _that_ reaction.

"Ken does tend to do that, doesn't he?" Jun smiled.

"Yeah, sometimes he sure could use some loosening up. A lot of times."

"We'll work on it."

Joe looked at Jun again. She sure was full of surprises tonight. He simply nodded in response to her comment, then turned to look at his watch.

"We'd better get back; it's nearly one am." he observed.

Joe drove the car back to the garage, and Jun helped him put the tarp back over it. Together they crept back to the main house, and to their rooms. As Jun opened her door, she looked back at Joe, mouthing her thanks once more. Joe nodded, returning to his own bedroom. He'd had more fun than he had expected, and Jun had made a surprisingly decent companion.

Perhaps there was something to this 'team' concept after all.

88888

Ryu quickly adapted to their way of life at the isolated villa, becoming a part of their existence so quickly that it was difficult for them to recall the time before he had arrived. Even Joe, who was far from pleased with Ryu's presence, had gotten used to his being there.

Ryu had had no previous martial arts training whatsoever, and Ken had been assigned by Dr. Nambu to coach him. At this same time, Jun was help Jinpei improve his skills, and so the four children had daily training sessions in the gymnasium, while Joe spent his time alone at the shooting range. After these sessions were completed each day, Ryu would instruct Ken in the use of Dr. Nambu's flight simulator. Needless to say, Ken was an eager student. Joe had no idea how Ken's 'flight training' was actually going, but based on Ken's exuberant attitude, Joe guessed that his friend was making significant improvements.

Except… Joe began to wonder if Ken actually _was_ his friend anymore. Joe only ever spent time with Ken now in group settings, such as lessons or meals, and it seemed as if Joe no longer even belonged to that group.

He had been replaced by a fisherman from Tohoku.

Joe began retreating into his younger persona: the one that did not speak with others except when absolutely necessary, and who kept to himself. In fact, the only time he found himself truly interacting with anyone else at all was when he and Jun would go driving late at night. Somehow, Joe knew that it was these occasions that saved his sanity, and he was grateful to Jun for accompanying him. For her part, Jun never spoke of Ken or Ryu when she was alone with Joe, sensing the soreness of that subject.

After two months of this existence, the day eventually came when Ken and Ryu left for the Kernerman Flight School. Their intensive program would keep them away for nearly eighteen months, unable to return to the villa even for holidays. Dr. Nambu had accelerated their training regimen, to ensure that when Galactor made their move, the Science Ninja Team would be ready.

Now, Joe found himself alone with Jun more often, and gradually he came to realize that a friendship of sorts had formed between them. Of course, it wasn't like the bond he shared… had shared… with Ken, but eventually Joe had to admit that he had come to care about Jun. She seemed to care about him as well, and he was surprised to discover how deep her loyalty to him went one evening, when Dr. Nambu finally discovered what was happening with his old car.

The Doctor was clearly ready to pile the blame entirely on Joe's shoulders when Jun stepped up and declared that it was all _her_ fault, as she had wanted to learn how to drive and had insisted that Joe accompany her. It was at that moment that Joe truly understood the bond that he and Jun now shared.

They were a team.


	10. Two Years Ago

_**Two Years Ago**_

"Hey, Jinpei, pass me that socket wrench, would you?"

"This one, Joe?" the boy asked, hurrying to pick up the requested item.

"Yeah, thanks."

Joe's head bent back to his task. He was fixing his car, and wanted to make sure that she purred like a kitten.

_His_ car… He could still hardly believe it. Dr. Nambu had given the vehicle to him for his sixteenth birthday about six months ago…. the same car he had gone joyriding in all over the villa's grounds less than two years before.

Of course, a lot had happened, since those days.

A couple of months after Joe and Jun had been caught driving his old car, Dr. Nambu had hired a proper driving instructor to come to the villa each day. Jun and Joe both had learned to drive the hard way: in a rugged 4X4 vehicle that had bounced and lurched over rough and rocky ground. Under these conditions, control was paramount, and though their education had been painful, it had left them capable of manipulating a vehicle under the most adverse circumstances and terrains.

But it hadn't been enough.

Joe had wanted _speed_. He had wanted to _race_.

Jun had been getting antsy as well. She had enjoyed learned to drive larger vehicles, but her first love had always been motorcycles. Joe had known that she had been planning on testing out her nearly-completed, self-constructed motorcycle. Joe hadn't been entirely certain that the damn thing was safe, but some of his stubbornness had apparently rubbed off on Jun, and he had found himself unable to dissuade her from this idea.

Yet, it seemed that Dr. Nambu had noticed her determination as well, for Jun had been presented with a dirt bike, complete with crash helmet. After only minimal instruction, Jun had instantly been addicted to her new vehicle, and after that she had often been found tearing up the terrain of the villa's grounds on her bike.

It had been then that Dr. Nambu had given Joe his old car, along with whatever tools and parts he had wanted to use, in order to alter it to his tastes.

And then, six months ago, Joe had received the most incredible opportunity he had ever dreamed of.

He had been given a job as a member of a pit crew at the Utoland Raceway, thanks to some strings that Dr. Nambu had been able to pull.

Jun had expressed interest in a similar position, but instead, the Doctor had hired an instructor for her who specialized in demolitions. Joe hadn't quite been sure what these lessons had entailed, but the frequent controlled explosions that could be seen coming from various parts of the villa's grounds had occasionally made him wonder exactly what was going on.

Jun had also begun taking courses in computer programming and design, and soon her requests to work with Joe at the Raceway had ceased.

Joe had been assigned to work with ISO sponsored racer Stan Moore. Stan had still been relatively young, even for a racer, and he had taken an interest in Joe. While Jun had spent her spare hours dirt biking all over Dr. Nambu's property, Joe had spent his time learning how to make quick and dirty car repairs, perform them at lightning speed, and then prepare to do it all over again a few minutes later. He had also learned how to get the most out of a car engine, and had found a lot of inspiration for the alterations to what was now under the hood of his own car.

But the best experiences of all had been when he had gotten to drive those professional racecars himself.

At first, Stan had assigned Joe to do test laps before races, to determine if his pit crew's unorthodox repairs had worked out as intended. But the young professional racer saw something in Joe that others hadn't, and he had made the untried boy into something of a protégé, giving him driving tips and the opportunity to practice his technique whenever possible.

Of course, everyone at the track, including Stan, had though that Joe was at least sixteen years old, and that he already had his driver's license. Joe hadn't been about to dissuade them of that notion and reveal that he was barely fifteen. He had been tall for his age, and, thanks to his constant martial arts and gymnastics training, muscular, so he had easily passed for someone a few years older than he had actually been. Occasionally, Stan had hinted that Joe should enter an amateur race on his own, but Joe had always managed to turn the conversation away from that subject.

Needless to say, Joe had been itching to race a car himself ever since he had begun this internship, and the modifications he had later made to his car had been based on that desire. The entire engine had been torn apart and rebuilt using high-end parts, as well as Joe's mechanical instincts.

The first time Joe had driven the car legitimately had been immediately after Dr. Nambu had given it to him. The Doctor had handed over the keys, gotten into the passenger seat, and instructed Joe to drive to the local Department of Motor Vehicles office. Joe had passed his written and practical driving tests all on the same day, and had returned home to an ecstatic and admiring Jun and Jinpei, who had excitedly helped him celebrate by riding as his passengers as he had used his new vehicle to tear up and down the highway.

And only a few days after that, Joe had entered his first car race.

That first time he had raced, Joe had been so nervous that he had nearly thrown up. Still, he had looked to the bleachers, and the sight of Jun and Jinpei standing there, cheering him on, had been enough to get him over his anxiety. He had placed third on that particular occasion, which had been an astounding feat for a newcomer to the racing scene. Yet it had only been a start for Joe. He had tasted the thrills that racing had to offer, and he had wanted more.

It hadn't been too long before he had been racing as often as he could. No race had been too big or too small for Joe Asakura. Just the thrill of being behind the wheel had been enough.

And more often than not, he came in first.

That was the best feeling in the world.

A week ago, Jun had turned fifteen. Joe, Jinpei and Dr. Nambu had had a small birthday celebration at breakfast, with cake planned for dinner that evening.

But Joe had had a race.

He had been getting ready to leave, and the idea had popped into his head to invite Jun along as his 'guest'. He had never had an official 'guest' at one of his races before, and it was her birthday after all. Besides which, this was the most important race in which Joe had ever participated.

It was a charity event, where anyone who had enough money could enter. Joe's fees had been paid by Dr. Nambu, but he would be racing against wealthy men who drove fast cars as a hobby, other amateur car enthusiasts like himself… and professional racers.

It was the professional racers who drew the crowds, and Stan Moore had been encouraged to enter. Once his mentor had become involved, the stakes had gone up for Joe. He wanted Stan to be proud of him; proud that he had given Joe a chance.

That morning, as he had been preparing to leave, Joe had already been bursting with that pride. His offer to Jun to accompany him had been met with a delighted smile, and her obvious excitement had only stroked his sixteen year old ego further.

Rather than sitting in the stands, Joe had taken Jun down to the 'pit'. For him, this was actually a small stretch of dirt alongside the track. Proper pit space was given to the professionals. Joe's 'pit crew', such as they were, consisted of two gangly guys from the local high school whose main recommendation was that they liked cars and worked for free. They knew enough not to touch Joe's engine, and did an adequate job of filling his gas tank and checking his tires.

Jun had been very interested in everything they were doing, and Joe had been able to tell that the two boys had been immediately impressed. Soon the three had been talking about engine parts, and Joe had known that Jun would be fine.

It had been time to race.

As always, Joe had mentally prepared himself as he had been waiting at the starting line. Although he had won a number of races, they had been amateur contests, and so he had been positioned behind a group of professionals.

Professionals racing against _him_.

From the moment the race had started, Joe had taken off, fighting his way through the cars in front of him; desperate to reach that open space out front where he could really take off and satisfy his need to push his car as fast as it could go.

And amazingly, he had been able to do it. One by one, he had passed the other cars, until there had been only one more car in the lead.

Stan Moore's car.

A thrill had shot through Joe. Stan was his mentor. He was the one who had taught him all about professional driving, and had given Joe a chance. Joe had wanted to show Stan that he was worthy; that Stan's faith hadn't been misplaced.

Carefully, Joe had edged up on Stan's position, and in the final lap he had pulled alongside Stan, practically giddy with the thought of racing alongside his self-declared instructor. They had crossed the finish line together, with Stan's car just a hair ahead.

Or so Joe had thought.

It had been a 'photo finish'. Even as Joe had walked over and congratulated Stan, the video had been shown on the large screen at the raceway.

Joe had won.

At first, all Joe could do was stand and watch the replay on the video monitor over and over again, frozen in place, the reality of the situation slowly sinking in on him. He had beaten professional racers; won a professional race.

Joe Asakura was no longer an amateur.

A flood of humanity had washed over him, taking him up onto a platform and into the Winner's Circle. Something had been thrust into his hands, and Joe had looked down to see a golden trophy there. Still dazed, he had glanced down at the sea of smiling people, a surge of adrenaline coursing through him.

It had been the biggest high he could imagine.

At that moment, someone in the crowd had stood out. Jun had been standing at the edge of the platform, cheering wildly for him, her excitement at his win nearly tangible. Joe had reached down, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up onstage to stand next to him. Jun had grinned widely, jumping up and down and then wrapping her arms around him to give him a big hug. Joe's arm had slipped around her waist, the other still holding his first professional racing trophy. And then, just as the frenzy had been at its height, Jun had pressed her lips against his cheek.

Something had surged through Joe again, and this time, it hadn't been adrenaline. Suddenly, he had understood why his 'pit crew' had been so friendly to Jun.

And then the moment had been over. Jun had moved away as various race officials had come up to congratulate him, and Joe had found himself at the center of everyone's attention for the next couple of hours.

The only dark spot on the day had been that Stan had refused to speak with him after the race. Joe had instantly understood that he had ruined things between the two of them, and this had been confirmed when Stan had snubbed him at the racetrack in the following days.

Joe was on his own now.

But on that night of his first professional win, sitting at the dinner table and watching Jun smile at him over the candles on her birthday cake, Joe hadn't felt alone.

"Joe, can you help me with this?"

Joe turned to look at Jun, who was sitting on the floor next to her dirt bike. She had her hands stuck into the engine as she looked up at him for assistance.

"I want you to hold this, while I clear out these gears." she explained. "I need two sets of hands, but I'm afraid that if I ask Jinpei he'll chop one of his fingers off."

"I will not!" Jinpei pouted.

"Sure." Joe grinned, sitting down next to Jun. Over the past week, since his professional racing win, he had been a little awkward around Jun, yet at the same time, also more comfortable. He reached over, holding his hands where Jun directed him, and watched as she cleaned out the gears.

Dirt-biking was naturally not the cleanest sport, and Jun liked to test her skills in muddy areas of the villa's grounds. As a result, while her bike was now almost completely clean, Jun was far from it. Her shorts and t-shirt were liberally streaked with mud, and her legs were covered in dirt as well. A greasy smudge adorned her nose, which was slightly wrinkled as she concentrated intently on her task.

"Got it!" she smiled, moving back and wiping her hands on an already filthy rag. "Thanks, Joe!"

"No problem." Joe said, removing his hands and coming to a stand. He looked up, only to see someone standing in the doorway.

"Who…?" he said, his eyes resting on the young man's face. "Ken?"

Ken's appearance was entirely different from the way he had looked when he had left for Flight School. Gone was the old scruffiness and boyishness. Instead, this image had been replaced by a well-groomed young man in a white shirt and pristine jeans. An aura of maturity hung around him, and in comparison Joe suddenly felt as if he had been caught goofing off by an adult, even though he was actually a couple of months older than Ken.

"Ken…" Jun gasped, and Joe could tell that she was just as surprised as he was to see the young man there. "When did you…?"

"We graduated." Ken said, his face breaking into a grin. "Ryu and I finished our flight training…"

"Did he tell you he was top of the class?" Ryu snickered, barreling into the room behind Ken. "Just like his father."

"Ryu, it's not like that." Ken protested, but his eyes were laughing.

Unlike Ken, Ryu hadn't really changed, other than growing taller and perhaps a bit wider. He ran over to Jun, heedless of the dirt covering her, and grabbed her in a big bear hug.

"It's great to see you again, Junie!" he said, laughing as Jun hugged him back. And when Ryu let go of her, he came straight to Joe.

"It's good to see you too, Joe." Ryu said, holding out his hand. Joe looked over the now-dirtied young man and laughed, accepting the gesture in the spirit in which is had been offered.

"I'm glad you're back." he said simply.

And to his surprise, he was. Whatever anger or resentment Joe had felt toward Ryu had disappeared over the last eighteen months. Ken had been gone, and Joe had made a new life for himself in racing. He didn't need to compete with Ryu any more.

He had learned how to make it on his own.

Still, that didn't diminish his happiness to see Ken again. Moving around an exuberant Jinpei, Joe walked over to Ken, holding out his hand.

"I'm glad you're back too, Ken."

"Me too."

They grasped hands firmly, and in an instant Joe knew that the friendship they had once had still remained. The two men grinned at each other, and for a moment Ken lost the aura of maturity that had surrounded him from the instant he had stepped into the garage.

Jinpei bounced up and down, telling Ryu everything that had happened in the last year and a half as rapidly as he could. Ryu appeared to be fascinated.

Jun hung back from the scene, staring at Ken wide-eyed, not daring to approach him in her muddy state.

"It's good to see you again, Jun." Ken told her.

Suddenly Jun blushed, and she began staring down at her feet.

"You too, Ken." she mumbled.

"Ah, good, you've all found each other." Dr. Nambu said, stepping into the garage. "Joe, Jun, get yourselves cleaned up. We're going to have an early dinner to welcome back Ken and Ryu."

Everyone left the garage and headed back to their rooms, and within twenty minutes they were all seated around the dining room table, just as they had before Ken and Ryu had left.

Except this time, Joe wasn't on the outside.

Everyone talked a mile a minute, telling each other what they had been doing since Ken and Ryu had left, and expressing their happiness at being together again. Joe felt almost comforted by the atmosphere of togetherness, and he knew in his heart that this was the closest thing to a family he would ever have.

"And now," Dr. Nambu said, his serious tone catching everyone's attention, "I have an announcement to make."

Everyone turned to look at Nambu expectantly.

"You have all been training over the past eighteen months." the Doctor began. "Your skills have been sharpened, and you have developed your abilities to exceptional levels. But while we have been working, Galactor has been steadily growing more powerful. They threaten to strike out at peaceful nations, and that strike will come soon. As of now, your only responsibilities will be to train as the Science Ninja Team."

Everyone was silent. Of course, Dr. Nambu had told them about this almost two years ago, but somehow, in all of the excitement over learning to race, Joe had forgotten about the true reason why the Doctor had been so supportive of his skills.

"Next week, we are all going to move." Nambu told them. "You are being assigned living quarters at the ISO Building, and special training facilities have been set up for you there. Our scientists have been working on uniform and vehicle prototypes for all of you, and you will need to get used to them, familiarize yourself with…"

"Vehicles?" Joe's eyes lit up. "We get vehicles?"

"Yes." Nambu smiled. "There is a special car for you, Joe. Your racing acumen will be a valuable asset to the Science Ninja Team."

Joe was so elated by this response that he almost missed Jun's quiet question.

"What about Jinpei?"

Jinpei looked up at Dr. Nambu, his face pleading.

"I can do it!" he said solemnly. "I can be a part of the Science Ninja Team!"

"I agree." Nambu nodded. "You have progressed very far in the past couple of years, Jinpei, and I can see that you will only continue to improve as you get older. A uniform and vehicle are already waiting for you at the ISO Building."

The boy's buck-toothed grin nearly split his face in two.

A sense of excitement took hold of everyone. This was really happening! Strangely, Joe found that he no longer resented the idea of Jinpei being on the team, just as he was no longer bothered by Ryu's presence. Having had the chance to develop his own identity and his own skills had somehow made him more accepting of the need for companions with other areas of expertise.

The conversation flowed on well after Dr. Nambu had retired for the evening (taking a protesting Jinpei with him) and Joe was suddenly shocked to find himself still wide awake and sitting with Ken, Jun, and Ryu in the Recreation Room as his watch indicated that it was past midnight.

"Well, it sure sounds like you guys are good pilots." Joe smirked. "But I think I'll wait and see for myself."

"I could say the same about this driving of yours, Joe." Ken pointed out.

"I'm good." Joe smiled confidently, stretching back on the couch. "Just ask Jun. She was there when I won a professional race last weekend."

"Joe is a good driver." Jun admitted. "But I'm sure you're a wonderful pilot, Ken." She glanced down at her lap.

"Oh, please." Joe rolled his eyes. "You've never even seen him fly."

"Speaking of 'flying'…" Ryu grinned, looked about the room in an exaggeratedly surreptitious fashion, "I brought back something from school…"

"Ryu, you didn't!" Ken's face clearly showed his shock.

"Just a couple." Ryu grinned. "Enough to share."

"We're underage, Ryu." Ken told him sternly.

"So what?" Ryu laughed. "It's just a beer. Not enough to get us drunk."

"Beer?" Joe's eyes brightened. "You have beer?"

"I managed to sneak back four bottles." Ryu revealed. "I thought it would make a great welcome home party."

"Count me in!" Joe grinned.

"No, Joe." Ken lectured him. "The legal drinking age in Utoland is…"

Joe groaned as Ken launched into a speech about the rights and wrongs of underage drinking. _This_ was the Ken he remembered: the stickler for the rules beyond all reason. Although Joe was amused to see that Ryu's reaction to Ken's uptight behavior was similar to his own.

"Fine." Joe said, cutting Ken off. "You can just run off to bed. Jun, Ryu, and I will…"

"I think Ken's right." Jun said quietly. Joe turned to look at her in shock.

"What?"

"Ken's right." Jun blushed. "We _are_ underage, and we're in Dr. Nambu's home."

"So we'll go outside." Joe shrugged.

"No." Jun shook her head. "That's not going to solve anything, Joe. Ken is right."

Ken's smile was wide, and he was beaming smugly.

"See?" he gloated.

Joe was astounded. Jun always did whatever he asked her to. What was going on?

"Let's go, Jun." Ken declared, standing up and moving toward the door. "I, for one, don't want to be part of this delinquent behavior."

"Whatever you say, Ken." Jun said, jumping up and following Ken out the door.

Joe sat in utter shock for a moment. What the hell had just happened?

"Wow, she's got it bad." Ryu commented, standing up and walking out of the room. Joe followed.

"What?"

"Jun." Ryu shrugged. "Can't blame her though. Most of the girls at school were the same way."

"What way?"

"Falling all over Ken." Ryu rolled his eyes. "Can you believe the guy is so dense he doesn't even _notice_ these things? All he has to do is smile at some girl and she's all over him. You wouldn't believe the things they tried! I should know. He was my roommate."

The two men had reached Ryu's room, and he ducked inside for a minute, coming back with a brown paper bag.

"Your idea of going outside was pretty good, Joe." he said. "Shall we?"

"Lead on." Joe told him. But somehow, the excitement he had felt at having an illicit beer was gone.

"What kinds of things did girls try with Ken?" Joe asked curiously.

"All kinds of stuff." Ryu replied. They were walking into the woods now. After a few moments they found a bed of pine needles underneath a tree and sat down. Ryu opened up the paper bag, drawing out two beers and passing one to Joe.

"Most of the time they just followed him around, making goopy eyes and asking him out." Ryu continued. "But once, I came back to the room and had a girl throw herself at me. She wasn't wearing too much." Ryu grinned at the memory.

"What did you do?" Joe asked, his interest piqued.

"Well, when she saw I wasn't Ken, she bolted." Ryu laughed. "But I wouldn't have done anything anyway. I was kind of going steady with Lisa at the time. I didn't mind looking at this other girl, though."

"Who's Lisa?"

"My girlfriend." Ryu actually sounded a bit embarrassed. "We got together about six months ago, when she enrolled at Kernerman. Although, I'm not sure when I'll be able to see her again, if we're going to be living at the ISO Building."

"Did you…?" Joe wasn't sure how to phrase the question, but he was pretty sure Ryu knew what he meant, especially when the young man blushed.

"Yeah… What about you?" Ryu turned the tables.

"No one special." Joe said casually, taking a long swig from his beer. An image of Jun flashed across his mind, but he pushed it aside. "But there were a couple of girls at the racetrack…"

"Racing groupies?" Ryu asked. "Nice…"

"Yeah." Joe grinned. "A couple of them took me 'under their wings'. Especially this one named Lucy."

"They were older?"

"Yeah. Maybe nineteen."

"Wow." Ryu was suitably impressed. "And you…?"

"I've been 'educated'." Joe smirked. "Enough to know what I'm doing." It hadn't hurt that he had been posing as someone older, but Ryu didn't need to know that.

"Huh." Ryu threw back his head, finishing the beer left in his bottle. "You sure are different from Ken."

"You mean, because I'm out here having a drink instead of holed up in my room?"

"Yeah, and because you seem to know how to deal with girls." Ryu said. "Ken's so clueless, it's amazing. I tried to talk to him about it a few times, and all he'd say was that we were at Kernerman to study. And you know, I think that's _exactly_ what he was doing, every single minute he was awake."

"But not you."

"Well, it's not like I didn't have plenty to do." Ryu admitted. "Between classes and flight training and practicing those martial arts… but there's always time for relaxation. Unless you're Ken Washio. That guy is hopeless." Ryu sighed.

Joe frowned to himself. Ken might be uptight, but he was inside with Jun, while Joe was outside with Ryu.

Perhaps Ken wasn't so hopeless, after all.

88888

Over the next few days, it became pretty clear that Ryu was right. Joe observed Jun following Ken around like a lost puppy. For his part, Ken didn't seem to notice, to the point where it became almost pathetic, watching Jun moon over him.

It bothered Joe more than he liked to admit.

Yet soon enough, they were off to the Utoland ISO Building, and preparations for the official activation of the Science Ninja Team went into high gear. It seemed that every day they were testing out some new piece of equipment or portion of their uniforms.

Best of all were the vehicles. Ken had a sleek fighter jet, and Joe had to admit that when Ken took to the air, the results were impressive. Ryu was assigned to pilot the main warship that would carry the whole team. Christened the God Phoenix, the blue and red plane responded to every command Ryu gave. Jun had been given an incredible motorcycle that she raced around the training track at top speeds. Apparently it could even act as a jet ski on water, although she had yet to try it out in this fashion. Jinpei had a spherical kind of hovercraft that looked like a Pokemon-style bug. It was somewhat less sophisticated than the other vehicles, but being not quite nine years old, it was enough to thrill the boy no end.

And Joe had a racecar.

This was a real racecar, not some old vehicle of Dr. Nambu's that he had fixed up. Its sleek blue lines made his heart soar whenever he saw it, and driving this car was sheer pleasure.

Damn, it was better than sex, and its performance sure lasted a hell of a lot longer. Joe drove his new car whenever he could, sometimes spending hours racing around the track. For many of those hours, he was joined by Jun on her motorcycle, and together they would run obstacle courses and practice dodging in and out of each other's way by racing on intersecting slalom paths at top speeds. When Dr. Nambu first saw this he chewed them out for nearly half an hour, but eventually even he could see that this kind of training could only help the Science Ninja Team in the long run.

They trained in hand-to-hand combat every morning, as a team. They were all good fighters individually. Joe, Ken, and Jun were excellent combatants, but they had to practice fighting in the same room as each other, and in the same confined spaces. They had each been given weapons that matched their unique strengths, and they spent hours each day using them, over and over again, until they could all aim with pinpoint accuracy, and became familiar with every nuance of their personal weaponry.

They were all given feather darts that Dr. Nambu called 'shuriken'. No one really took to them, but practiced a minimal amount, to gain a basic level of competency.

Everyone except Joe.

For some reason, Joe took a liking to the shuriken. He couldn't have said why, but there was just something about the feel of them in his hands, and the way they obeyed his commands when he threw them into the air. Within a month, his accuracy was such that he would have been the local darts champion in any British pub, and a month after that, he was clearly on a level with any professional in the world, partly because of the time he spent perfecting his skill, and partly because he practiced using erratically moving targets, rather than a stationary circle.

The prototype uniforms they used for training were good enough for them to work on a group technique called the Tornado Fighter. They set themselves up in a pyramid formation, then spun faster and faster until they found themselves at the center of a whirling maelstrom with the power of a Category 5 Hurricane. The first time the fledgling Science Ninja Team successfully attempted this maneuver, they blew the windows out of the training gym. The openings were quickly replaced with some kind of reinforced material, and the practice continued. Once they had mastered this technique as a team, they spent time practicing in two, three, and four person variations, until they were comfortable with all possible permutations.

They practiced flying with their new wings, although it was really more like gliding: drifting on air currents and altering their speed of descent. Joe especially enjoyed taking sharp dives as a prelude to a deadly attack on his holographic opponents.

But their most impressive maneuver was also their most dangerous.

When they were all onboard the God Phoenix, the warship was able to transform into a blazing Firebird, soaring through the sky and obliterating anything with which it came in contact. They weren't able to practice this technique as often as they probably should have, as the entire team had been warned numerous times about the dangers of exposure to the potentially fatal environment that was created inside of the God Phoenix while the Firebird was in progress. The Science Ninja Team all knew that they were, under no circumstances, to attempt this technique more than twice per day, and preferably no more than once, lest they suffer serious consequences to their physical well-being.

And with these weapons and techniques in their arsenal, the Science Ninja Team continued training in earnest.


	11. One Year Ago

_**One Year Ago**_

At long last, the day had come when the Science Ninja Team was to be given their completed uniforms. They had been working at ISO Headquarters for nearly a year, and everyone had been anticipating this day for some time.

But when Dr. Nambu came into the conference room where they were all waiting, he only carried five slim garment bags. One glance told the Science Ninja Team that their wings and helmets, long boots, and gloves could not be encased within these coverings.

Dr. Nambu walked to the head of the conference table, looking down at the five young people seated before him.

"I have your new uniforms." he said quietly. "You have all been training in basic prototype uniforms, and you will find these similar, although there are some differences. The most obvious difference will be the color schemes involved. Instead of grey and white, these will feature the colors that you have been assigned. Next, you will see that the 'flightsuit' component has been radically altered. Instead of a baggy jumpsuit, the body of the uniform is made up of a form-fitting fabric that will adjust to your body shape and reduce air drag while you are flying."

"There is one other factor of which you have not yet been made aware." Nambu told them. "It has been decided that, since you should all be ready to deploy on a moment's notice, that you should wear your uniforms at all times, except when bathing or sleeping."

"How can we do that?" Ken asked. "Are we really going to be walking around in full uniform every moment of the day?"

"It would be somewhat awkward." Jun agreed.

"Yes, I concur." the Doctor smiled. "That is why we have added the property of transformation to your uniforms. When you are on duty, they will be your regular uniforms. When you are off duty, they will appear as regular civilian clothing. The transformation process will work in a similar fashion as the transmutation feature your vehicles already possess."

"That's why the bags are so small?" Jinpei guessed. "Our uniforms look like civilian clothing right now?"

"Yes." Nambu nodded. "I will pass them out to you now." He turned to face Ryu.

"Ryu, while you have demonstrated impressive abilities, your greatest strength is your ability to pilot the God Phoenix even under the most stressful conditions." the Doctor said. "As such, you will remain onboard the God Phoenix during many missions, dropping off other Team members and being available for pickup, under the most adverse scenarios. You have been assigned the rank of G-5: the Owl." Nambu handed over one of the bags to Ryu, who opened it to reveal a beige pair of pants and a green t-shirt with the number five on it.

"Jinpei, while you show great potential, you are young, and still have much to learn." the Doctor told the boy. "You are working with the best, and I hope that you will continue to improve and grow from your experiences. You have been assigned the rank of G-4: the Swallow."

Jinpei's uniform consisted of a yellow shirt with the number four on it, and a pair of white and blue striped pants. Nambu then turned toward Jun.

"Jun, your skills in demolitions and intelligence gathering are going to be an invaluable resource for the team. You support and compliment Ken and Joe well, and provide necessary guidance to Jinpei and Ryu. You have been assigned the rank of G-3: the Swan."

Jun smiled, pulling out her uniform to reveal a pinkish-red t-shirt with a number three, and a pair of white and red striped pants.

Lastly, the Doctor turned to regard Joe and Ken, who were sitting next to each other on one side of the table.

"Ken and Joe, you are both excellent hand-to-hand combatants, and you have both mastered all of the necessary skills for leadership. You think strategically, and are able to assess complex situations. You have both been involved in the training of Jun, Jinpei and Ryu, with positive results."

Ken and Joe looked at each other. Clearly, there were only two ranks left: those of G-1 and G-2. Only one of them was going to be assigned the G-1 rank, and with it, the leadership of the team. Yet the way Dr. Nambu was speaking…

"Ken, your abilities as a pilot are phenomenal. " Nambu continued. "I had the privilege of watching your father engage in air combat, and your skills far surpass the ones he displayed. Joe, your rapid rise in the world of racing only underscores how quickly you have picked up your exceptional driving skills. Both of you will be valuable members of the Science Ninja Team."

"But only one of us can command." Joe said quietly.

"That is true." Nambu acknowledged. "And while you are both well qualified, there are times when I feel that you are too reckless, Joe. You make decisions without consulting others, and ignore rules and regulations when you find them inconvenient. It is for these reasons that I have decided to assign you the rank of G-2: the Condor."

Joe felt the blood drain from his face. He had half expected that Ken would be given command of the team. Heck, the order in which the ranks were being assigned was the same order in which they had come to live with Dr. Nambu and begun their training. By those measures, Ken would have to be G-1.

But what the hell was this crap about not consulting others? Not following the rules? What did Nambu want, some kind of damn lap dog who would say 'Yes, Sir!' to everything the Doctor wanted and never question orders?

Apparently so, for Ken was pulling out a red t-shirt with the number one emblazoned on it.

"Ken, you will be known as 'Gatchaman'." Dr. Nambu was saying. "Together, you will be the 'Science Ninja Team: Gatchaman'."

The entire damn team was going to be named after Ken.

Joe's grip tightened on his chair. He didn't even reach for the bag containing his uniform. But his anger was not directed at Ken. This wasn't _his_ fault.

His anger was directed at Dr. Nambu.

For a brief moment, Joe seriously contemplated standing up and walking out of the room, never to return. He could be replaced, and none of them, not Ken, not even Jun, would truly miss him if he were gone.

But if he left, he would be throwing away the best chance he had ever had… might ever have… of obtaining his revenge against Galactor.

The faces of his parents rose up in his mind, and Joe grimaced, knowing that he would have to swallow this bitter pill if he truly wanted to honor their memories.

Let Ken be the damn leader.

It didn't mean that Joe had to listen to him.


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

_**One Year Ago**_

Red Impulse stood in front of the small communications monitor, flanked by his Lieutenants Masaki and Oniishi. All three men were clad in their red uniforms and stood at attention, their eyes fixed on the image of Kozaburo Nambu delivering a report on the latest goings on at the ISO. Although technically, the Red Impulse Squadron reported to the UN Military Forces, the reality was that they pretty much acted on their own, and received information and requests for aid from a few different sources.

The International Science Organization, as represented by Kozaburo Nambu, was one of those sources.

Every few months, Nambu would make a report, and the Red Impulse Squadron would listen. Unknown to the Doctor, who had recently been made the Head of the ISO, much of that information found its way to the ears of Galactor, through their Leader X, courtesy of Red Impulse himself.

In his mind, Red Impulse was gleefully mulling over much of the intelligence Nambu had related in this report, and was already gloating at his success over Berg Katse, who was never able to procure such valuable information for the alien entity. The Colonel felt that this particular session had been fairly helpful to him, and so he was taken aback when, at the time that Nambu would normally sign off, the Doctor hesitated.

"There is one more item of note, Kentaro." he said quietly.

Red Impulse froze. No one called him by that name anymore.

"This morning, the Science Ninja Team was officially activated." Nambu continued.

"What is the Science Ninja Team?" Red Impulse asked, a coiled tightness in his words.

"They are a special forces unit established by the ISO, and they report directly to me." the Doctor replied. "Their purpose is to preserve the resources on this planet for peaceful purposes, as dictated by the UN, and to ensure that the Mantle Plan is successfully employed around the globe."

It was all pretty words, but Red Impulse knew what this meant. Kozaburo Nambu had recruited his own team of fighters to work against Galactor. Sosai would not be pleased. This team had to be destroyed at the first opportunity.

"You might be interested to know, Kentaro," Nambu added, "that the Science Ninja Team is led by your son."

Only the sheer habit of a lifetime of hiding his true emotions and thoughts prevented Red Impulse from crying out in dismay. _His son_?

"What have you done, Kozaburo?" he squeaked.

"Do not worry, Kentaro." Nambu reassured him. "Ken is an excellent fighter. He has been training for years, under my supervision. Not only that, he is following in his father's footsteps, and he's one of the best young pilots I've seen since…"

"You must be very proud, Captain." Masaki murmured quietly.

"The boy is too young to have this kind of responsibility." Red Impulse snapped.

"You don't know what he's capable of." Nambu reminded him. "You aren't able to monitor his progress daily, as I do."

"Still, this is unacceptable!" Red Impulse protested. "As his father, I have rights…"

"Those rights are invalid, as long as you choose to pretend that Kentaro Washio is dead." the Doctor lectured. "I should think you would be happy, Kentaro. Ken is going to join you in your fight against Galactor."

"Yes." Red Impulse replied, forcing a smile through gritted teeth. "Very happy."

The moment the transmission had ended, Red Impulse retreated to his room, claiming a headache. Masaki and Oniishi looked at each other, but did not comment on the Colonel's feeble excuse. Red Impulse ran to his quarters, slamming the door and banging his head against the wall in frustration.

This was a failure of monumental proportions. The mere fact this his son… _his son_… was leading a force whose primary objective was to thwart Galactor would reflect badly on _him_. Sosai would never forgive him for leaving the brat in the hands of one of Galactor's enemies.

If Sosai knew…

But what if Sosai _didn't_ know?

Red Impulse knew how Kozaburo Nambu thought. He would want to protect the identities of this Science Ninja Team. If Nambu did a good enough job at this, then the entire team could be eliminated before the truth ever got out. And if it came out after the fact, with the potential threat already removed, the risk of Sosai's wrath would be significantly reduced.

He could _not_ tell Sosai.

It was not in his nature to keep things from Sosai, and yet an essential part of his primal core was the instinct to survive.

And it was this instinct that overrode all else.

Sosai could never know that the son of Kentaro Washio led the Science Ninja Team.

**End of Part I…**

The Ties That Bind - Part II is coming soon!


End file.
